I am Borg, Part 1
by Kudara
Summary: The entry of a higher energy being into Seven of Nine's life causes sweeping changes. Continued in I am Borg, Part 2.
1. I am Borg, Part 1, Chapter 1

**I am Borg – Part 1 - Chapter 1**

By Kudara

Disclaimer: Star Trek Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Stardate: 52668 (Note: after events of Someone to Watch Over Me)

Rating: PG-13

Revision Date: 7/3/04; 3/21/07

Summary: Seven is captured by the orders of a Mularan because she is Borg, the results of her capture result in an appeal to the Mularan goddess Mulara. When a powerful energy being takes an interest in Seven and the Borg who knows what will eventually happen.

* * *

As Seven slowly regained consciousness, the first thing she was aware of was the pain in her head; the second was that she was lying on a hard grey floor. The last thing she remembered was turning around to reply to one of the Mularan security guards on the space station and registering that the guard was aiming a weapon at her before pain exploded in her head and everything went black.

The pounding pain in her head made it difficult to focus on her surroundings, but Seven made the effort to raise herself to a sitting position and proceeded to examine the bare room. The floor, ceiling, and three walls of the room were uniformly light grey in color. The fourth wall of the cell was not a wall at all but a steady shimmering bluish force field. Seeing no immediate way out of the room Seven began to evaluate her physical condition.

Gingerly she examined her face and head with her Borg enhanced hand, using its advanced sensory capabilities to assess the extent of the damage, the results were not promising. From her initial investigation, she could tell that her cortical node was damaged, and the flesh around it was deeply bruised. Looking at the floor where her head had been laying, she could see that she had bled slightly from the injury as well, but her nanoprobes had healed that wound.

Of more concern was the fact that her continued headache and dizziness indicated that her cortical node might be beyond the capabilities of her nanoprobes to repair. If that was the case, she only had a few days for Voyager to find her before her system started rejecting the implants and she died. Seven refused to further consider that line of thinking, and instead continued to evaluate her physical condition. After a few more seconds, she decided that aside from a few bruises on her legs she was functioning adequately.

With the self-evaluation finished, Seven decided it was time to see if she could free herself from what appeared to be a holding cell. She stood up unsteadily using the wall to balance herself and walked closer to the force field to look out into the corridor. Across the way from her and slightly further up the corridor, she could see another cell identical to the one she was in, it appeared to be empty. Past the next holding cell, she could tell the hallway extended further, but she could determine nothing else. Straining her senses, she tried to gather more information, but she could hear nothing aside from the faint hum of the force field.

Seven began a careful examination of the force field that barred her cell. After an exhaustive examination, she could tell that the cell was constructed similarly to Voyager's brig and seemed just as inescapable. Seven sighed in frustration. Out of a lack of any other constructive idea, she decided to review the events that had lead up to this point in the hope that she might garner some insight as to why she had been attacked.

Species 3567 – humanoid, prominent facial ridges, similar genetically to the Kazon, they called themselves Mularan, after their goddess Mulara. The Collective knew Mulara was actually an advanced non-corporal entity, but little else. Nine years earlier, in an attempt to gain more information about this entity, the Borg assimilated thousands of Mularans. From those assimilated, the Collective determined that one of the more powerful energy beings had once taken a personal interest in the Species 3567. Approximately 100 years ago that entity had ceased interacting with them, leaving behind some buildings and artifacts that only it could power. Upon gaining this information, the Borg ceased their efforts to assimilate Species 3567, as the species itself was not yet advanced enough to add to the perfection of the Collective. Instead, the Borg had attempted to assimilate the technology the entity left behind, but they had failed.

Seven had recited all of these facts to the Captain at the senior staff meeting before Voyager decided to accept the Mularan's trade offer. She had been on her way back to the ship after a meeting with some of the Mularan astrometics scientists. Once the Mularan scientists realized that she had been Borg, they had become very tense around her. Evidently, they expected her to turn and assimilate them at any moment. Such reactions were not uncommon, but they never failed to distress Seven.

The former Borg had taken the earliest opportunity to leave what had become a tense situation, stating that she needed to return to Voyager in order to complete her analysis of the most recent nebula Voyager had come across. She had been walking along a relatively deserted corridor when one of the Mularan security guards that had just passed her hailed her. The fact that the guard had a weapon drawn and aimed at her caught her by complete surprise, giving the Mularan guard a perfect shot.

In another part of the complex, several Mularans were arguing over what to do with the Borg they had just captured. The Commander of the Space Station Guard had ordered the Borg's arrest, and then transferred the unconscious woman to the planet below. Now she was in the custody of the Intelligence arm of the Mularan military. More specifically, she was in the custody of Ahaoe Muahe, whose entire family had been assimilated by the Borg nine years earlier.

The Intelligence complex was very close to one of the major Mularan temples and nearly all of the Mularans serving there were devout believers. The idea of physically harming the humanoid woman in the cell, Borg not withstanding, could only be justified if she was guilty of assimilating Mularans. If she was not, what the Ahaoe Muahe wanted to do was not only illegal according to their justice system, but also completely detestable in the eyes of their religion. Even if she was guilty, the proper response was a quick death and everyone in the room was uneasily aware that Muahe seemed to have other ideas for the Borg.

Such was the subject of the intense debate that was being held in the room. Finally, Ahaoe Muahe screamed, "I don't care if the Borg drone was personally involved in our people's assimilation! They have a collective mind therefore all of them are equally guilty of what any of the Borg do. This discussion is over; bring the drone to the interrogation room for questioning immediately!"

Though still reluctant, his sub-officers rushed off to do his bidding leaving only his immediate subordinate Buaea Vauar in the room. Ahaoe Muahe stared at his subordinate and snarled, "Are you disobeying me?"

Vauar calmly replied, "I am officially informing you that I am notifying Commander Mlaer of your actions."

Muahe stepped in close to Vauar and said, "You do that, and you had better pray that he agrees with your interpretation or you will find yourself assigned to the worst hell hole I can find."

Buaea Vauar merely nodded calmly and with a respectful salute sharply turned and exited the room. Ahaoe Muahe stared angrily after him and then began pacing impatiently. Finally, a subordinate appeared to inform him the prisoner was in the interrogation room. Muahe sneered at the man's back as he left. He had plans for the Borg drone, but first he would have to make sure that all of his subordinates were well away from that room.

* * *

Seven had drawn herself up straight with her hands behind her back when she heard the sound of several humanoids moving toward her. She contemptuously examined the group of ten guards that came for her, and was about to inquire as to their intentions when the force field dropped and one of them immediately fired upon her rendering her unconscious yet again.

When she awoke she was strapped securely to an upright platform, and a Mularan male was the only other occupant of the room. The cold glittering look in his eyes as he noted her awakening chilled her, as did the menacing nature of his posture.

The former Borg asked coolly, "Why have you detained me?" hiding her unease behind a calm veneer.

The Mularan sneered, "For your crimes Borg, you will die for all the Mularans you have killed, and I shall take great joy in being the one that kills you. Nine years ago you assimilated my family, and their blood cries out for vengeance."

Seven replied, "I was one of the Borg that assimilated the Mularan, what proof do you have that I assimilated your family?"

Ahaoe Muahe was stunned at his good fortune. When he recovered he growled, "It looks like Mulara smiles on me today… to find one of the drones that killed my people shows that she favors what I am about to do."

"I do not know the individual names of the Mularans that I assimilated, how do you know that I assimilated your family?" Seven was frightened, but also curious as to why this Mularan believed that she was responsible for his family's assimilation.

Muahe smiled cruelly, "That is… as you would say… irrelevant. The fact is that all Borg are responsible for what you did the Mularans, that you were actually involved is just a bonus." Seven shifted in her bonds and Ahaoe Muahe gloated, "Don't even bother, not even you can break those."

She looked back at him coldly and stated, "Captain Janeway will search for me, she is probably already aware of my disappearance. By what legal right do you hold me?"

Ahaoe Muahe sneered, "Captain Janeway is the only one on the Voyager who would miss you. We have been quietly asking questions about you Borg, you have no friends on that ship, and most of them would not mind your disappearance at all. Especially the Chief Engineer, she had quite a few things to say about you Borg. As for legal rights, the fact that you admit to being one of the Borg who murdered us is quite enough."

Seven paled, but gamely replied, "I have showed my loyalty to the crew of the Voyager many times, you are lying."

Muahe mocked, "What? Do you think they actually care about you drone? I've heard how rude you are to all of them. How you sneer at them and treat them as lesser beings, flaunting your Borg arrogance!" This last was practically screamed at the former Borg drone.

Seven, who was trying hard to hide her trembling at this point, stated defiantly, "I have risked my existence several times for the crew of the Voyager, they are my Collective."

Muahe laughed scornfully, "What? Do you think you bought acceptance from them with that? I can tell you that you didn't. They don't want to be your Collective drone; they reject you and your pathetic attempts to win their approval. The only one who wants you on that ship is the Captain and that's only because you are some type of project to her."

Seven decided not to dignify that with an answer, as she was more concerned with new evidence that her cortical node was malfunctioning. She was experiencing several uncomfortable sensations including constriction of her throat and chest and a feeling of nausea. The symptoms seemed to have been triggered by Muahe's words and Seven realized that she was feeling severe emotional pain at the thought of the crew of the Voyager telling all this to the Mularan.

Ahaoe Muahe regarded her coldly, ignoring the signs of Seven's distress, "Enough of this, time for you to pay for what you did to my people." Muahe whirled around, and going to the cabinets on one side of the room opened a particular drawer. It contained instruments definitely not approved for use during an interrogation that he had placed their earlier, and grabbed a laser scalpel. Turning back to the helpless drone, he immediately began to sever her Borg enhanced arm, uncaring of the fact that he was cutting through flesh and bone.

At first, Seven was too shocked by the extreme pain to scream, but that soon changed. Ahaoe Muahe ignored the drone's cries and continued severing Seven's arm, when he was done he contemptuously asked "What? You must have done this to countless Mularans."

Seven had ceased screaming and was attempting to focus on something besides the pain, she replied in a weak voice, "New drones are sedated by the assimilation nanoprobes during the process of Borg attachments, Borg do not intentionally cause pain."

Ahaoe Muahe stared at Seven of Nine, and completely lost what little control he had left. He glanced around the interrogation chamber and found a length of metal. With it, he began to beat the drone that, in his mind, represented the terrible mindless Borg who had taken his family away. He started by beating her across the abdomen trying to break the implant he could see under the silver suit she wore. Ignoring her screams when she could no longer restrain them, he continued beating her, far past the time when her cries stopped.

At some point, several guards finally piled into the room and pulled him off the drone and subdued him. His superior, Huiah Mlaer, hurried into the room and stared, shocked at the blood on the floor and walls, and then looked sickened at the torn and bloodied body on the interrogation platform. In a shaking voice, he called for medical assistance, though he had no hope that the Borg drone known as Seven of Nine was still alive.

The medic that rushed in a few seconds later quickly confirmed that the drone was indeed dead, and in a flat tone he pronounced, "There is no heartbeat or brain activity, the pelvis has been broken at several points, as have the bones in the remaining hand, forearm and arm. Several ribs have been broken and driven into the lungs and other internal organs. The upper leg bones are fractured on the left and broken on the right; both lower legs are broken as well. That's beside of course, the obvious damage to the skin and muscles and the extensive blood loss." The medic finally concluded, "There is nothing we can do for her, she is dead."

Huiah Mlaer's thoughts turned to the very angry Captain of Voyager who had been speaking to him earlier, demanding to know why her crewmember had been attacked by his security forces on the space station. How she had so quickly discovered the facts of the Borg drone's abduction was a mystery to him. Huiah Mlaer said, "Ahaoe Muahe you have chosen to take justice into your own hands, we will have to convene a court to determine whether or not you were right to do so… however this appalling level of violence cannot any way be justified."

Ahaoe Muahe said, "I demand my right for this to be decided by Mulara, I demand that I be taken to the Arch of Judgment. Mulara brought this drone to me to be punished, let her show the justice of my actions."

Huiah Mlaer stared shocked at Ahaoe Muahe for a moment but then nodded saying, "That is of course your right, it matters not that Seven of Nine is dead. Mulara can still determine her guilt or innocence and by that your guilt or innocence as well Ahaoe Muahe."

Huiah Mlaer called for a stretcher and ordered that the body of Seven of Nine be carried to the Arch of Justice. Carefully the guards released the restraints on the body and lowered it to the stretcher; one of them gingerly picked up the severed arm and placed it next to the body on the stretcher. They waited until Huiah Mlaer exited the room and proceeded to follow him to the temple, Ahaoe Muahe brought up the rear of the procession, head held high despite the presence of the guards around him.

Ten minutes later the High Priest ushered them into the room containing the Arch of Justice. The room contained what looked like a simple diagnostic bed under an undecorated arch comprised of a yellowish stone. Two stone statues of Mulara stood at the head of the bed. The statues were humanoid in shape and about seven foot tall; the features were smooth and vague only hinting at a face that did not show any Mularan characteristics.

The High Priest was obviously trying not to become ill at the sight of the body of the accused as the guards placed it on the bed under the arch. The paleness of his complexion and the perspiration dotting his forehead bore silent witness to his struggle.

Immediately the arch began to glow, and what looked like a golden scanning beam passed over the body of Seven of Nine. A disembodied voice stated, "What is the accusation?"

Ahaoe Muahe stated, "That the Borg Seven of Nine is responsible for assimilating and murdering several thousand Mularans. She is guilty personally by her own admission that she participated in the assimilation, and because of the nature of the Collective Mind of the Borg, for all the assimilation's and murder's of the Mularans they attacked."

The beam once again swept over the body of Seven of Nine then its focus changed to concentrate over the head where it stayed for several minutes. The High Priest shifted nervously saying, "Perhaps there is too much damage for a judgment to be made?"

The disembodied voice replied, "Memories are undamaged, still determining judgment." Ahaoe Muahe, who had previously been so confident, became nervous at this pronouncement, and his eyes flickered about the room obviously looking anywhere but at the bloodied body of Seven of Nine.

Finally, the voice spoke again, "Seven of Nine is innocent of all charges. The nature of the Collective mind of the Borg is such that a drone has no individual will, without individual will there can be no associated guilt for any action carried out while under the Collective minds influence. Perhaps the entity known as the Borg Queen at the time of the attack upon the Mularan might be found guilty of the accusation since she directed the hive mind. However, this former Borg drone, known as Seven of Nine, is innocent of the accusation; in addition due to the unusual nature of her past she has been found to be insufficiently emotionally and socially developed to be considered an adult by Mularan law. Ahaoe Muahe is declared guilty of misuse of his authority, kidnapping, torture of a minor, and murder of a minor. Any person who directly assisted in the kidnapping of Seven of Nine is guilty of assisting in the murder of a minor."

The voice fell abruptly silent. An anguished scream was heard from Ahaoe Muahe as he fell to his knees in disbelief. Finally, he stared at the body of Seven of Nine as it sunk in what he had done. The guards lifted him back onto his feet, and he was lead away unresisting to his fate.

Huiah Mlaer stared at the former Borg's body and wondering exactly how he could explain what had occurred to Captain Janeway. Perhaps they could dispose of the corpse before the angry woman saw exactly what had been done to her crewmember.

As he was thinking this, something occurred that had not happened in several hundred years. The lights in the deeper part of the complex powered on, and one of the statues of Mulara beside the diagnostic bed began to glow with a faint golden aura. As the Mularans stared in awed disbelief, the stone statue stepped fluidly off its dais. The statue walked around the diagnostic bed and picked up the body of Seven of Nine, including the detached Borg arm, turned and walked into the complex.

All of the Mularans stared speechless until the statue disappeared into the depths of the temple. Then all at once they began excitedly speaking, trying to understand the meaning of what had just happened. The High Priest shook himself out of his astonishment, and attempted to follow the statue, but was stopped by a golden hued force field that now blocked the hallway.


	2. I am Borg, Part 1, Chapter 2

**I am Borg – Part 1 - Chapter 2**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Stardate: 52672

Rating: PG-13

Revision Date: 7/3/04; 3/23/07; 6/5/07

Summary: Huiah Mlaer must break the news of Seven's fate to Voyager's crew. B'Elanna Torres must brave the wrath of Captain Janeway for her part in Seven's death.

Klingon words used: Meanings taken from Voragh's notes on Klingon Cursing  – strong swearword.

Ha'DIbaH – abusive insulting word meaning Animal.

Peta'Q – abusive insulting word, implies that the thing or person spoken of is useless, garbage, non-functional.

* * *

Several hours later, Huiah Mlaer found himself staring at a very angry Captain Janeway. He had agreed to come aboard Voyager to meet her personally, stating that he had a duty that he must discharge to her and her crew.

He was met in the transporter room by the ship's First Officer, and a stiff and formal Captain Janeway who immediately said, "I demand to know what has happened to Seven of Nine."

Huiah Mlaer sighed unhappily, "I do not think this is the place for me to discuss this matter Captain Janeway."

The tone of his voice must have made it apparent that the news he had was dire, for the Captain paled and swayed slightly, her First Officer immediately supported her with a firm hand under her elbow. Chakotay nodded to Mlaer, "Follow us to the Captain's Ready Room."

Mlaer wracked his brain for the man's name, "Certainly Commander Chakotay…" he paused to see if he had pronounced the human's name correctly, and was rewarded with a nod and a small smile as the First Officer lead the way out of the transporter room. The Mularan stared as they passed through the ship, wishing that he could ask for a tour, but the nature of his news made it unlikely that it would ever occur. Too soon for his taste they had passed through the ship and into the Captain's Ready room.

Captain Janeway seemed to have regained her composure and she asked firmly, "What news do you have of Seven of Nine."

The Mularan waited until both of the humans were seated before beginning formally, "Two days ago Seven of Nine was illegally kidnapped from this space station and taken to the Intelligence Base on Mularan. There she was…" Huiah Mlaer paused uncertainly, trying to think of the kindest way to tell what had been done, and trying to block out of his mind the vision of the interrogation room. He continued in a shaking voice, "There she was..." Huiah Mlaer could not continue looking at the woman he was speaking to and instead he dropped his eyes to the carpet in shame and continued, "…brutally beaten by the head of the Intelligence Department, Ahaoe Muahe. I was informed of his intent but arrived too late to prevent the death of your crewmember." A stifled gasp drew his attention back to Captain Janeway.

The woman looked pale and shocked, he hurriedly continued, "Ahaoe Muahe claimed the right to use the Arch of Judgment. As required by tradition and law, we took the body of Seven of Nine and Ahaoe Muahe to the temple, where judgment was rendered in favor of your crewmember. Muahe is due to be beheaded within the hour; all of his lands and titles are forfeit to the government. The guard who initially attacked her, and the Commander of the guards of this station, have also been sentenced to beheading. Any guard determined to have been involved in the transportation of Seven of Nine will be confined and sentenced to no less than 10 years." He finished the last in a rush, earnestly holding the Captain's gaze, determined to demonstrate to Captain Janeway that the Mularans took the crime seriously.

Captain Janeway focused on the litany of beheadings, trying to remember the law code that had been transmitted to them before their arrival at the space station and said, "Beheading is not the usual punishment for murder, is it?"

Huiah Mlaer shook his head and said, "Not usually, but in this case the judgment was rendered by Mulara herself. Ahaoe Muahe claimed that Seven of Nine was guilty for all the Borg assimilations and murders that occurred nine years ago on Mularan. She was found innocent of all accusations, Mulara said that since she had no individual will she could not be found guilty of any of her actions while she was part of the Collective. Since Mulara rendered the judgment the sentences are more severe. Mulara found Ahaoe Muahe guilty of misuse of his powers, kidnapping, torture of a minor and murder of a minor. Beheading is the traditional punishment when Mulara's judgment is invoked and the resulting charge is murder. Forfeiture of all lands and money is an additional punishment since the person involved was a minor. The 10 year sentence for anyone involved in the kidnapping is, of course, the standard punishment for kidnapping a minor."

Captain Janeway looked at Huiah Mlaer and said, "Minor? Seven of Nine is… was twenty-seven years old. At what age are Mularan's considered to be adults?"

Huiah Mlaer said, "Mulara said that her emotional and social growth was not that of an adult and that she was to be considered a minor. The age of adulthood varies in Mularan law; one must prove that they have the emotional and social maturity to be considered an adult. The average age varies between eighteen and twenty one years of age."

Janeway nodded then asked, "When can we have the body of Seven of Nine for burial?"

Huiah Mlaer looked uncomfortable, hesitantly he admitted, "I'm not sure, as we do not have access to Seven of Nine. One of the guardians at the Arch of Judgment took her body into the inner temple. Force fields have been erected around the lower parts of the temple and the inner temple gardens. We cannot enter the area where the guardian took her body to find out what has happened to her."

Captain Janeway stared at Huiah Mlaer, "Where exactly is this temple located, have you scanned for any signs of Seven of Nine?" she finally asked.

"Our equipment cannot penetrate the force field that surrounds the temple, but I will give you the coordinates. Perhaps your scans will be allowed to penetrate the shield," Mlaer replied helpfully.

Captain Janeway gave Mlaer an odd look at his phrasing, but merely nodded. She knew the Mularans devoutly believed that their goddess was real. During Seven's briefing the former Borg had informed them that the Collective believed Mulara was a highly advanced non-corporal energy being. Suddenly hopeful despite the odds of any reason to be so, Janeway requested the coordinates from Huiah Mlaer and relayed them to the bridge, instructing them to specifically scan those coordinates for any sign of Seven of Nine.

It was not long before Kim reported, "Captain, there is a human life form at the indicated coordinates, but I am unable to detect any signs of Borg implants. I am still trying to get a more detailed scan through the force field that surrounds the entire area."

Rising quickly, Captain Janeway stepped from behind her desk, "If you will accompany me to the bridge Mr. Mlaer?"

Mlaer, suddenly hopeful that events might not be as dire as he thought, rose and readily followed the Captain from her Ready Room onto the Bridge. The large central view screen showed a close up of the Mularan Temple, the force field a golden dome covering part of the temple grounds.

Ensign Kim nodded to the Captain, "I have confirmed that the human life form DNA matches that of Seven of Nine. She's there Captain, but there are a lot of differences in the data I'm seeing compared to the medical information we have for her. With your permission I would like to forward it to Sickbay for the Doctor to analyze."

Janeway nodded thoughtfully then said, "Let the Doctor know I would like that analysis to be completed as soon as possible, what have you determined about the force field Ensign?"

Kim grimaced, "I have not been able to determine the energy source powering it, but whatever it is, it's putting out a lot of energy to generate a force field of that area and strength. I can't get a transport lock on Seven of Nine through it." He shook his dark head confused, "Given its strength I'm not sure why our scans are penetrating it at all, we shouldn't be able to."

Janeway replied thoughtfully, "Remember what Seven said during the briefing about Mulara, the power source of that force field might not be what you would normally expect. Look for any spatial anomalities or singularities that might be feeding it power."

Janeway made an effort to persuade Huiah Mlaer that those condemned to death should be spared since Seven was alive, but he was quite adamant that Mulara had stated that she had been murdered. Nothing could change that pronouncement, not even the fact that Mulara had decided to restore her. The Captain then sent an official protest of the sentences to the Mularan government, which was taken as a noble gesture, and promptly ignored. In their viewpoint, Mulara had been very clear about the nature of the crimes committed. The only thing the Mularan government did agree with her about was that Voyager should be sent copies of everything they had on Seven's abduction, torture, death and the events at the Arch of Judgment.

Commander Chakotay escorted a grateful Huiah Mlaer around the ship while the information was gathered. Upon being informed that the data requested had been sent to Voyager, Mlaer asked to be transported back to the planet, candidly admitting that he had no desire to view Seven's death, the memory of the interrogation room was enough to give him nightmares as it was.

With his parting words as a warning, Janeway and Chakotay began with the reports of the events leading up to Seven's disappearance. They were extremely disappointed to learn that the engineering crew had been the primary source of the negative information Ahaoe Muahe had obtained about Seven of Nine.

The reports from the Mularan intelligence operatives clearly identified the Chief Engineer of Voyager, Lt. B'Elanna Torres, as the greatest critic of the former Borg. Only a few of them mentioned Commander Chakotay's continuing lack of trust in the drone. Fortunately for Lt. Torres, the reports made it clear that the half-Klingon had refused to say anything about the former Borg, and had walked away from the operatives when pressed for information. The reports glossed over all the times Seven had risked her life for the crew of Voyager, dismissing it as Seven of Nine trying to justify her continuing existence as a member of the crew. All of the information had been gathered within a few hours at the request of Ahaoe Muahe. Apparently it had been all the information he needed to decide that Seven of Nine was the perfect target for his vengeance.

Janeway sighed and looked over at her First Officer; there were only two more pieces of information to look at, the recordings of the torture and what had taken place at the Arch of Judgment.

Before she could say anything her First Officer commented, "Perhaps a break would be a good idea before we look at these. I've read over the data the medical personnel took when they were called to the interrogation room. It reminded me of some of the things I saw as a Marquis that the Cardassian's had done. Maybe the Doctor has some information for us; I for one would like to know that Seven is alive despite these reports."

Janeway nodded thankfully, the medical reports had sickened her, and she now understood why Huiah Mlaer had been so adamant that he did not want to see any more. Janeway tapped her combadge, "Doctor, Janeway here, I was wondering if you had finished your analysis of the data Ensign Kim sent you?"

The Doctor replied, "Yes I have, would you like me to send it to your console there? Or come and report to you myself?"

Janeway said, "Why don't you come up here, I have some medical data that I need to show you that was given to us by the Mularans."

The Doctor replied slowly, "I've heard that Seven died as a result of being tortured. Is it the medical data from when the Mularan medical personnel examined her?"

Janeway asked sharply, "Where did you hear that Doctor, I haven't released any of this information yet."

The Doctor replied, "The Mularans announced the death of Ahaoe Muahe twenty minutes ago for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Seven. It's all over the ship by now. The medical listing of her injuries leading up to her death, and a short segment showing the ruling at the Arch of Judgment was made publicly available Captain, its part of the official record of the execution."

Janeway sighed, "Come to my Ready Room Doctor and give me your report. It sounds like I need to make an announcement that Seven is alive. Though honestly after what I've read in these reports a little ship wide guilt might do some good."

It was only a few minutes before the Doctor arrived, and with a consenting nod from Janeway began his report. "The data Ensign Kim sent me is very contradictory. If it is correct, Seven's physiology has changed considerably. There is more human physiology present now than three days ago, but at the same time there appear to be more metallic alloy elements present as a part of her total physiology." The Doctor paused, and waved the padd he was holding for emphasis, "Seven used to have approximately 10 metallic alloy elements present in her physiology. This information indicates that the percentage has increased five fold to 50 metallic alloy elements."

The hologram shook his head, a puzzled look upon his face as he admitted, "I am uncertain as to what this could mean. It might mean that her Borg armor has been replaced, or it might mean something else entirely. The metallic alloy elements present include tritanium and poly-deutonic alloy, all of which are in some type of matrix. Perhaps with better data I, or engineering, could figure out the specifics," he finished.

After the Doctor left, Janeway and Chakotay stared warily at the console on her desk. Janeway sighed, "Well only two data files left. Let me know if you want to stop at any point, and I'll certainly do the same," she said huskily.

With almost identically grim looks, the two began viewing the information the Mularans had discovered detailing the specifics of Seven's torture. Thankfully, the video portion of the information was poor, and though they could tell what happened to Seven they were not assaulted with detailed scenes. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the audio was excellent and they were able to make out every word of the conversation between Seven and Ahaoe Muahe.

Janeway watched in horrified disbelief as Ahaoe Muahe coldly amputated Seven's Borg arm. As she listened to the former drone telling Muahe that the Borg did not intentionally cause pain, the Captain was surprised and proud of Seven's continuing defiance of him. Fleetingly considering the statement, she realized it was entirely accurate, the Borg might cause pain during assimilation, but if so, it was accidental. They had no sympathy or pity if it did, but Seven was correct the Borg did not cause pain for the sake of causing pain.

When it became obvious that there would be no more conversation, only Seven's screams, she gratefully turned down the audio. The pain filled cries tore at her, filling her with bitter regret that she had been unable to protect her protégé. Finally, they watched as Huiah Mlaer and the guards pulled Ahaoe Muahe away from Seven's mutilated body. They continued watching until the guards with Seven's body marched out of the room for the Arch of Judgment and the data disk ended.

Reflecting upon the Mularan's refusal of her requests for clemency for Huiah Mlaer, Janeway allowed herself to feel a few seconds of savage satisfaction at the man's fate. It was barbaric according to the principles she had been raised with, but after hearing the man's taunting of her helpless crewmember, seeing the brutality with which he had attacked Seven, the thought of his head being separated from the remainder of his body was definitely satisfying. Shaking herself, she forced down the emotions. There was still one more piece of information to be reviewed, and she had to remember that despite what she had just seen, Seven was actually alive.

Janeway picked up the last data disk and with an inquiring look at Chakotay, who nodded, she inserted it into the console. They could immediately tell that Arch of Judgment was well monitored, unlike the previous record, this video and audio were of excellent quality. It was also the first detailed view either of them had of the devastation Ahaoe Muahe had wrought upon Seven's body, and both of them stared dazed at the blood-drenched form on the diagnostic bed. Only Seven's face had been left untouched by his attack except for blood spattering on her throat and jaw.

They continued watching in silence, listening to the disembodied voice and Muahe's arrogant assertion that his savagery against Seven was justified. The announcement of her innocence and Muahe's guilt drew deep breaths from both, and they watched, with at least outward impassivity, as Muahe was dragged away after one protesting scream.

Chakotay pointed at the screen, "Look at the statue; it's changed, it's glowing. Everyone's attention is on Muahe but it began glowing a few seconds ago."

Janeway backed up the data to the point Chakotay indicated, and they both focused on the statue as first the eyes and then the entire body glowed. The two officers were silent as they watched the statue move gracefully over to pick up the body of Seven of Nine and bear it into the depths of the temple. After the last of the data had finished playing Janeway asked, "What do you make of that," she indicated the frozen last picture on the console, "Given that we just found signs that Seven is alive again and somewhere inside that force field?"

Chakotay steepled his fingers together, looking pensive, "Mulara has obviously taken an interest in her, not surprising given the mythology surrounding her."

Janeway gave him a curious look, "I don't know anything about it."

"I looked it up when we first arrived out of curiosity." He replied, "Were you aware that the first time she showed up on Mularan was 500 years ago? The Mularan's were split into several opposing kingdoms, and violence between them was very common. One of these kings kidnapped the teenager daughter of another, and had her raped and tortured. When she died a golden light formed around her and she disappeared, at the same time the king and all the men who had participated in the kidnapping and rape died as well… by decapitation as a matter of fact, probably where the traditional punishment began. The daughter showed up almost two weeks later with a tale of a goddess who had gathered up her body and healed her."

Janeway looked intently at Chakotay, "Sounds a lot like what happened to Seven. Do you think this will mean that we will have to wait two weeks for her?"

Chakotay shrugged, "The story said almost two weeks so I would guess that it was around 10 or so days. She died yesterday, if it's correct, we have somewhere between seven to twelve days before she will be returned to us. The story also describes the daughter's time with the goddess as healing and peaceful, if we are lucky Seven will be treated the same."

Janeway nodded, "I hope so because I don't know what Seven's emotional state will be after going through that. That story, if it's accurate, indicates that she will remember everything that happened to her." Janeway paced for a moment, she picked up the PADD with the Intelligence reports, "Is the situation between Seven and the crew as bad as this makes it out to be? Does she really have no friends beside the Doctor and I on Voyager?"

Chakotay paused, choosing his words carefully, "I know she is friends with Naomi Wildman, but Seven's mannerisms have not made her many friends, especially in engineering. I'm certain they don't realize that neither you nor I consider her to be as mature as her physical age would suggest, so they don't understand why we let her continue to behave the way she does. They just see her getting away with behavior that wouldn't be tolerated in them."

Janeway nodded thoughtfully, "I guess I haven't done her any favors by doing so, but she didn't exactly want to join Voyager, so I've tried to be easy on her. Did you know that less than six months ago, when we found Artruis's ship she didn't want to go to the Alpha Quadrant? I told her that she had no other place to go but Voyager. I thought at the time she was merely afraid of the unknown, now I wonder if she wasn't more afraid of meeting more people that might react to her the same way."

Chakotay gently replied, "Kathryn you can't blame yourself for wanting her to experience her humanity. She's grown so much this last year, we just have to figure out how to fix the situation that exists between her and the crew, and how to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Kathryn Janeway nodded, "Any suggestions?" she asked.

Chakotay smiled, "As a matter of fact, yes. Given that the Doctor said that the medical record and pictures of the Arch of Judgment were posted publicly I'm betting that the entire ship has seen them by now. B'Elanna is stubborn, but she's also honorable, and I bet she's feeling pretty bad about how Seven was treated about right now. If we can get her to change how she treats Seven, the engineering crew should follow her example."

* * *

In engineering the mood was anything but jovial, there had been a guilty pall hanging over the engineers ever since Seven's disappearance, and especially after Tuvok found out that several of them had been gossiping about Seven of Nine to Mularan Intelligence agents. The fact that they had not known the identity of the friendly Mularans who had wanted to know more about the ex-Borg had not diminished the decidedly disapproving look the Security Chief had given each of them.

None of them was looking forward to the inevitable note that would be placed in their records about their indiscretion. Torres had already dressed several of them down for falling for the tactic, she had been instantly suspicious of the Mularans curiosity and her Marquis experiences had kept her from sharing any information about Seven of Nine. She might dislike the arrogant Borg, but she would never betray a shipmate like that.

The transmission from the Mularans of the execution of Ahaoe Muahe for the death of Seven of Nine upset everyone. The images of Seven of Nine's body had been graphically shocking evidence of her abuse, and the news that she was declared a minor under Mularan law, just piled one shock after another in the minds of the engineering crew.

Torres had disappeared into her office, shaken by the sight of the dismembered and bloody body. She had read the dispassionate medical report, and had looked up the Mularan law to find out what was considered the age of adult hood. Now finished with her research, she sat with her head in her hands thinking of how Seven of Nine had acted and comparing it to her own teenage years and seeing entirely too many similarities.

Why hadn't Janeway made it clearer that Seven wasn't as mentally mature as she was physically? Memories of Janeway and Chakotay telling her that she was expected to be above reacting to Seven's behavior intruded, and in the light of this new information, B'Elanna saw their admonitions with deeper insight. If the Captain and Chakotay considered Seven to be socially and emotionally around the age of eighteen or so, then of course they would tell her that she was expected to be above reacting to Seven's actions. Why hadn't they made it clearer to her? Had the Captain and Chakotay expected her to see it for herself?

Now she would never have the chance to apologize for all the hateful things she had said to the Borg. Never have the chance to show the Captain that she was capable of dealing with Seven in a mature manner. She accepted that the antagonism between Seven and most of the engineering crew had been in part her fault; she had not bothered to discourage it, and by doing so had indicated to her crew that the hostile behavior was acceptable. If she had stopped the behavior instead of tacitly encouraging it, Seven might not be dead.

Her summons to the Bridge to speak to the Captain and First Officer came as no surprise. She stepped out of her office, and met the eyes of her engineering crew that immediately turned toward her, "I must apologize to all of you," she announced, "I should have said something sooner about the gossip and behavior you displayed towards Seven. I should have stopped it, but I didn't, instead I said nothing and by that I pretty much encouraged all of you to continue. I'll accept the responsibility for the information that was given to Mularan Intelligence; if I had behaved more like a senior officer I'm certain the security lapse would have never occurred."

With that, she turned and left engineering, heading for the Bridge with a decidedly grim look on her face that had everyone in the hallways moving to the side to stay out of her way.

Torres strode through the Bridge, ignoring Ensign Kim's attempt to catch her attention, and asked for permission to enter the Captain's Ready Room. When the door opened, she marched in and stood stiffly at attention in front of the Captain and Commander Chakotay.

Captain Janeway raised an eyebrow and said, "Lt. Torres I think you know why you are here. Would you like to explain to me why engineering had the need to share their opinions of Seven of Nine with Mularan Intelligence?"

B'Elanna took in a deep breath, "That's my fault Captain, I should've stopped the gossip and their behavior toward Seven months ago, but I didn't. I realize that by doing so I was encouraging the behavior because of my dislike of Seven. I accept full responsibility for my crew's actions on the space station."

Captain Janeway said, "Well this is a change; we've been trying to get you to realize how much influence you had over your engineering crew for months. Too bad Seven had to die before you realized it." Janeway was not going to pull any punches, she was irate that the situation in engineering had been allowed to continue as long as it had.

Lt. Torres flinched, "Yes Captain."

Commander Chakotay asked, "Why did you let the situation in engineering continue Lt.?"

B'Elanna paused, giving the matter some serious thought then answered, "From the first she was rude to me; she always behaved as if she had the right to do anything in engineering she wanted, and I resented that both of you allowed her to. I guess I was also jealous that she got as much of the Captain's attention as she did." B'Elanna hadn't wanted to be that honest, but with what little honor she had left she figured complete honesty was the only way of regaining any of it.

Janeway blinked, "You were jealous of the time I spent with her? Did you not realize that she needed it? I made the choice for her against her will that she would become human; I decided that she was unable to make her own decision about the matter and overrode her wishes. I took on the role of her guardian B'Elanna, I thought you realized that."

B'Elanna shook her head and said, "I'm sorry Captain, I only realized that you and Chakotay weren't treating her as an adult a few minutes ago. The news that the Mularans had declared Seven a minor caused me to think about it. I was too wrapped up in my own reactions to see I guess."

Janeway stared at her, "Despite what the Mularan's decided, I don't know that I would classify Seven as a minor. Younger than her biological age certainly, but I wouldn't judge her maturity level as being below the age of adulthood. Given the time she lost as a Borg, the formative years we spend learning how to be individuals, how to interact with others, it's not surprising that she wasn't very skilled in those areas. I don't see how anyone expected her to be, after all the rest of this crew had twelve years or more to learn what she was trying to learn since being separated from the Collective."

Janeway paused, a severe look upon her face, "As Federation citizens I expected this crew to be tolerant and understanding of her difficulties, as Starfeet officers, I expected that even more so. It seems in many instances I was wrong on both accounts."

The half-Klingon flinched, understanding only too well the Captain's point. She herself had been afforded that understanding and tolerance, the displays of temper and anger that had gone unremarked in her would have undoubtedly landed a full human on report.

"And now," Janeway continued, "How would you treat her now B'Elanna?"

Still recovering from the Captain's earlier words, B'Elanna laughed bitterly, "If she were still alive you mean? She would still get on my nerves and infuriate me, but I hope I would react differently. I would try to tell her what she was doing wrong and if she continued, I would tell her to leave engineering until she could behave in an acceptable manner. I guess I'd be more inclined to report to you and Chakotay when she really did something out of line, instead of just yelling at her. But I'll never have the chance now to make things right, will I?"

Janeway tilted her head to the side when B'Elanna had started speaking, but had let her finish. Now she asked, "B'Elanna you don't know that Seven may be alive do you? We can't get a transporter lock on her but we have detected her life signs in the main temple complex where the Arch of Judgment is located. I'm sorry, I thought that you knew."

B'Elanna stared at her, "That's what Harry was trying to get my attention about, and I just walked past him. No I didn't know." B'Elanna closed her eyes and a feeling of relief swept through her, she would have the opportunity to regain her honor. B'Elanna opened her eyes and looked at the Captain and said, "I do have one request of you Captain."

Janeway looked at her searchingly, she nodded and B'Elanna continued, "Don't let her get away with the way she treats people. If nothing changes I can ask my people not to be actively hostile to her, but I can't make them like her, and she still won't have any friends." B'Elanna thought, but didn't say, just as I didn't have any friends when I was a teenager. "When I'm right, and she's out of line, back me up please."

Janeway rubbed her forehead, "What is it that she does that annoys people the most?"

B'Elanna shifted her weight, considering the question and tried to respond to it as diplomatically as possible. "She treats people as if they were inferior to her. She constantly tells people they are inefficient, and their feelings are irrelevant. The way she corrects mistakes makes it clear that she believes that she would not have made them. Even though she doesn't want to rejoin the Collective, she makes it obvious that she compares us to the Borg and finds us lacking. Being told that you are inefficient and your thoughts and feelings are irrelevant…well no one reacts well to that."

Janeway looked at her understandingly, "I don't want to immediately make radical changes when she comes back, chances are she will remember everything that happened to her and she will need our support. I'm afraid she would take that type of change to mean that Ahaoe Muahe told her the truth, that she's not welcome here. Can you be patient for a while longer, and try and treat her gently for a few weeks. Let's ease into the change instead of springing it on her all at once. I don't want to hurt her more than she's already been hurt."

B'Elanna was puzzled, "What did Ahaoe Muahe say to her?"

Janeway reached over to her console and typed in a few commands, she turned the screen around so that B'Elanna could watch the first few minutes of Seven's 'interrogation'. Janeway stopped it before Muahe moved back over to cut off Seven's arm.

B'Elanna rubbed her forehead ridges absently and sighed, the _petaQ_ had taunted Seven with the things her engineering crew had told his people. Suddenly she straightened and said furiously, "That _Ha'DibaH!_ He told Seven that I had told him those things!" B'Elanna got up and started to pace angrily.

Janeway watched her agitated movements for a few seconds, "Tuvok's reports and the information we got from the Mularan's make it clear that you did no such thing Lieutenant. I'll make sure that Seven understands that you never told Mularan Intelligence anything."

B'Elanna turned, responding passionately, "But she's going to know where the information came from, and that's engineering, which means me." B'Elanna's shoulders slumped, and she said in a quiet tone, "How can I make this right?"

"Try to be patient with her, figure out whether or not she means to be rude or not. B'Elanna, she hides behind that Borg mask when she feels uncertain or threatened. You react with anger to situations you don't like; she reacts by acting like the perfect Borg. Try to remember that when you are dealing with her. Try and look for what's behind the behavior, instead of reacting to it," Janeway suggested.

B'Elanna bristled at the comparison, but then frowned and nodded her acknowledgement to the Captain. "If that is all Captain, I need to go back to engineering. Let me know if there is any more news about Seven?"

Janeway nodded, "I'll forward the sensor readings to you. The Doctor said he might need your help to figure out some of the changes in Seven's physiology. She has a lot more metallic alloy in her physiology than she used to, and the Doctor isn't at all certain why. Maybe you can tell something from the data, if we get better sensor readings I'll send them to you."

B'Elanna frowned, "The Mularans are holding Seven somewhere? The way they reacted to her death I wouldn't have expected that."

Janeway gave her a grim smile, "No the Mularan's aren't, but it appears that Mulara is. There is a force field around parts of the temple, if the Mularan mythology is correct we won't be allowed to retrieve Seven for several more days."

B'Elanna nodded thoughtfully, "That's why we diverted all available power to the sensors. We still can't punch through the force field? Could you send me the information on the force field as well? Maybe I can figure out some way to get through it."

Janeway nodded, "Thank you for offering to help B'Elanna."

B'Elanna nodded sourly, not feeling at all as if she should be thanked for helping get Seven out of a situation she had contributed toward. After her dismissal, she left the Ready Room and walked over to Harry Kim, "What do you have on this force field?"

Harry briefly smiled at her, and then indicated a readout on his console, "Look at this, see that power reading. I've never seen a force field this strong, but I've finally found what's powering it. I think," He added. "I'm getting readings indicating some type of quantum singularity inside the force field, and I believe that is where the force field is getting its power. The interesting thing is that before we diverted power to the sensors we were picking up readings on Seven from inside the force field, and we shouldn't have been able to, not with that strong of a force field. Even now we shouldn't be able to get the type of detailed readings that we are."

Tom, who was at the helm, commented lightly, "I don't see why everyone is so worried about Seven, she always turns up ok. I'm sure we will get her back and she will be her charming Borg self."

B'Elanna rounded on him angrily, "_Ghuy'cha,' _I'd hardly call being tortured to death ok Tom, it's not like she's just going to be able to forget that. Nor will she forget that it was engineering that was so eager to talk to her torturer's intelligence people and that's my fault."

Tom gaped for a second, then his face darkened, "Hey, what are you talking about? I thought she was detained by Mularan Intelligence? I mean she is alive, I know Harry's been scanning for her this past hour or so."

Both B'Elanna and Harry stared at him incredulously, "Haven't you been paying any attention to the reports?" Harry finally asked the helmsman.

Paris flushed, "No," he admitted, "At least not any after the initial report that she had been taken by Mularan Intelligence."

Torres rolled her eyes, she could guess at what other things Tom had been doing while the ship was at station keeping orbiting the planet. Helm had nothing to do besides make sure the ship didn't deviate from its orbit, so Tom had probably been engrossed with working on his latest Captain Proton holonovel and completely ignoring everything else happening around him.

B'Elanna growled at Tom, "You need to read the reports before making any comments about Seven. No one deserves to be tortured to death! And certainly not Seven... Not after all the times she's risked her life for us." With that, B'Elanna strode angrily from the Bridge leaving a confused Tom Paris staring after her.


	3. I am Borg, Part 1, Chapter 3

**I am Borg – Part 1 - Chapter 3**

By Kudara

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Stardate: 52672

Rating: PG-13

Revision Date: 7/3/04; 6/5/07

Summary: Seven's experiences in the Temple.

* * *

Love, comfort, acceptance... a gentle voice, and the sensation of a hand that brushed her forehead soothingly; she was dimly aware of being comforted as the pain that had wracked her body faded away and she fell into a deep healing sleep.

When she next woke, she was floating freely in some type of warm thick liquid filled tank, a breathing mask covering her nose and mouth. How or why she was floating inside the tank did not concern her as she looked around in mild curiosity at her surroundings. Through the thick fluid, she could see the outlines of a moderately sized room. The walls, ceiling and floor were made of large cream-colored sandstone looking blocks, and intricate designs ran along molding at the top and bottom of the room's walls. A large, clear door ran from floor to ceiling directly in front of her tank which gave her an excellent view of what she knew were the inner temple grounds.

Dimly she wondered how she knew this, but the thought quickly faded and she simply watched the play of the sunlight through the branches on the grass, feeling peaceful and slightly tired. The deep green of the grass and the golden sunshine made a pleasing contrast and she fell asleep wishing that she could be outside experiencing the sunshine and grass. Never did the words efficient, or irrelevant, run through her mind. She did not wonder who she was, or how she came to be in the tank, completely unaware that she was gently, but firmly, being prevented from thinking about certain things until her mind and body healed from her ordeal.

The next time she awoke, she was no longer in the tank, but lying on a soft bed with a light sheet covering her. She stretched and looked sleepily out the door, but could see little as it was dark outside. She sat up, and looked around the room curiously. A small table was beside the bed, and upon it she saw a glass full of an orange fluid and a bowl that contained different colored fruits.

She picked up the glass and sniffed the liquid, the rich fruity smell filled her senses, making her aware of the fact she was hungry. She took a small sip, it was rich and sweet, with a faint sour aftertaste that faded quickly. She decided she liked it and took a larger sip. Examining the fruit in the bowl, she chose a red-skinned oval fruit that smelled pleasant and began nibbling upon it. After the first few bites she paused, noting curiously the light blue color of the flesh. It made a startling contrast to the redness of the skin, yet it also had a pleasantly creamy texture and a sweet taste, so after a moment's consideration she continued eating it. Between the juice and fruit her hunger was soon appeased, and with one last look outside at the dark grounds, she snuggled back into her bed, pulled the sheet back up, and fell asleep.

The next day she awoke promptly and looked out the door. The sight of bright sunlight on the green grass evoked a bright, pleased smile from her. It was morning and the sun was shining. A childlike sense of curiosity gripped her; she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. She wanted to explore the gardens.

Her reflection in the doorway caught her attention, and she stared at herself curiously. The silver lines that covered her chest and abdomen enthralled her. They were on her arms and hands as well she noticed, and lifted her forearm for closer inspection. The silver lines were about as wide as her smallest finger, a design of gold and deep blue chased along its length. The design seemed familiar, and looking up at the molding in the room, she realized that the designs on her arm, and the designs on the molding, were the same.

She touched her stomach, vaguely recalling that she used to have something like this before, but it hadn't been as nice as what now adorned that area. She looked at her hand, a silver line ran down the top and bottom of each finger and covered the fingertips. The lines from her fingers met and curled in a simple interlace design on the top of her hand and palm, then continued in a more complex interweave pattern on either side of each arm. The silver lines on the top of her arm crossed over the top of her shoulder and split to run down the front and back of her shoulder, then met again under her arm to continue down the sides of her torso. The lines on the bottom of her arm ended in a triangular pattern that covered the area of her armpit.

The design on her abdomen ran upward along the width of her torso; the lines sweeping in an arching flowing design that almost, but not quite, met the pattern that ran down her sides. The design ended just beneath her breasts, and then met in two silver lines that ran between her breasts, then separated out to either side into smaller silver lines that arched gracefully across her upper chest, and ended just beneath the collarbone near her shoulders on either side.

The twining pattern on her sides continued down the outside of her hips and legs, ending in a delicate spiral around her anklebone. The design on her abdomen ended just above her groin and arched around and down the front of her hips and down the front of her thighs, there it widened and ran down the front of her thigh to the tops of her feet. Turning around, she noticed that the design on her abdomen and front of her legs repeated across her backside.

Looking at her face, she gently touched the silver pattern that ran around her left eye; turning her head, she noticed a smaller silver pattern on her right cheek near her ear. She could barely feel the difference between her skin and the silver, a slight raise between the two and the smooth metallic feel of the narrow silver bands. The lines around her eye were finer than the ones on her torso; they formed a delicate arching pattern around the eye that she found pleasing.

She realized belatedly that she was nude, and looked around the room for clothing. A tall armoire in the corner of the room drew her eye. Opening the two long doors on its front, she found clothing hanging inside the upper part and drawers of underclothes at the bottom. Curiously, she examined the tops and pants and various wrappings that she knew were meant to fit around her wrists and waist. She put on a set of underclothes, and then picked a sapphire blue shirt and black pants to wear.

The blue shirt was flowing and loose in the body and upper sleeves, made of a thick material that felt soft against her skin. The sleeves narrowed at the wrist, and she chose matching blue wrist wraps to wear with it. The wrist wraps were meant to look as if they were made of narrow bands of cloth wound around her lower forearm and wrist, but they were actually all one large piece that wrapped around and adhered to itself. The black waistband was about five inches wide and made to be worn in the same manner. A set of matching black calf length flat-soled boots completed the outfit.

When she was done, she looked at herself in the doorway, admiring the way the wrist and waist wraps caused the shirt to blouse gracefully. The pants were tight fitting, but not skin tight, and narrowed at the calf to meet the boots without any blousing effect. A one-inch banding formed a collar at the neckline of the shirt that ended in a V, which showed the skin of her throat, the hollow of her collarbone, and some of her chest.

Once dressed, she realized that she was hungry again; she went to the table to grab a few fruits from the bowl before opening the doorway and stepping out into the temple gardens. The inner temple gardens were laid out in a cross design, with formal flower gardens at the center and ends of the crosses. In between the flower gardens, stone walkways bordered by green grass and trees completed the design. Her room exited into the garden midway between the middle and one of the branches of the cross.

She spent the day admiring the different flowers in the gardens and resting on the grass in the shade of the trees. Several of the trees were fruit bearing, and she knew which ones were good to eat from her experiences with the fruit in her room. The fruits ranged from sweet to tangy, and some of them were very juicy, requiring her to frequently wash her hands in the fountains that dotted the area. Somehow she knew that the water pouring out of the fountains was safe to drink, and throughout the day she slaked her thirst from them.

When the sun's position indicated it was mid-afternoon, Seven wandered sleepily back to her room to lay down for a nap, while she slept her new cortical node received information about her exoskeleton and implants. When she awoke in the evening she sat up abruptly, surprised by the new information suddenly available to her.

She re-examined her hands, now understanding that the silver lines were a poly-deutonic alloy matrixed with an organic material that displayed an immune system marker identical to that of her own cells. No longer would she have to worry about her implants being rejected by her immune system, all of her implants were now recognized as part of her own body instead of alien.

She had conscious control over the appearance of her exoskeleton. There were three different possible color combinations, the silver it was now, blue with silver and gold markings, and red with gold and silver. She also had the ability to overlay the top with a thin organic layer that mimicked her skin to hide the exoskeleton. All of these processes took a certain amount of time to finish; she closed her eyes and instructed her exoskeleton to begin the process to change to blue. That done, she knew it would be several minutes before the process was complete, while she waited she began sorting through the remainder of the new information in her cortical node.

Her exoskeleton was part of a complex supportive structure under her skin. Her bone structure was now entirely supported by more of the metallic-organic matrix, poly-deutonic and tritanium alloy support rods ran around the bones in her limbs to her exoskeleton to ensure that her muscles could not be crushed between the exoskeleton and reinforced bone. Fine metallic-organic filaments ran through every inch of her skin, muscles, and organs, which supported, reinforced, and improved their function.

A different metallic-organic fiber worked in conjunction with her nervous system, increasing the speed of her reflexes, and her sensory capabilities. These fibers interacted with her exoskeleton, allowing it to be an extension of her skin. In fact her exoskeleton was dense with sensory fibers, allowing her to process information about her environment that she would be otherwise unable to sense. These fibers also ran through her brain, interacting with her cortical node, and increasing her brains synaptic speed as well as allowing her to process information more quickly.

As before…she paused and wondered what she had been before but there was no memory of what she had been before now. She could now remember her name, or names, she knew she was Annika Hansen and also Seven of Nine. Though she could not remember why she had two names. She was troubled by the lack of memory for a moment, but that emotion quickly faded, and she continued with her self-examination. She had bio-organic chips, embedded within her major muscle groups, which in turn interacted with the metallic-organic fibers to both feed the muscles with energy and cleanse waste products away. Behind her left eye was her primary cortical node that stored information for retrieval, and controlled her exoskeleton and nanoprobes.

That implant was redundantly backed-up by other implants in her chest and legs. If for some reason the primary cortical node malfunctioned it would shut down and the other implants would take over its functions. Implants scattered throughout her abdomen interacted with specialized organic fibers in her mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines allowed her to efficiently process several different types of organic and inorganic matter as food. Any organic substance that wasn't highly caustic or poisonous could be used to fuel her body.

Formerly her nanoprobes had controlled her body temperature, now her cortical node controlled her body temperature by using her exoskeleton to either cool or heat her body. This usually occurred without her conscious input, but she if she choose she could consciously control her body temperature.

Seven glanced at her hands; enough time had passed for her exoskeleton to modify its color. She smiled and stripped off her clothing, admiring the blue metallic bands that now adorned her body. After examining her exoskeleton for a few minutes, Seven realized that she was feeling fatigued and hungry. She noticed earlier that the fruit on the table had been replaced, and there was a new glass of juice. Now she sat on the edge of the bed, drank the juice, ate two pieces of fruit, then decided to rest.

Seven slept, her eyes fluttering as she began remembering her past. She relived her childhood remembering her parents and her life aboard the Raven. She remembered when the Borg had come upon the disabled Raven, how she and her parents had been assimilated. She remembered being Borg and the united mind of the Collective, then being severed from the Collective by Voyager's captain Kathryn Janeway. She recalled her experiences on Voyager up to the point where the Mularan guard had fired upon her.

Seven awoke with a start, now aware that the recent changes in her physiology were due to some unknown trauma that had occurred after the Mularan guard's attack. Looking down at herself, she absorbed once again the information about her new exoskeleton and implants. She brought her hands up for examination, realizing that she no longer had a Borg arm. She briefly missed the functionality of the limb, but then she realized the banding on her hands would provide much of the same functionality.

Abruptly she comprehended the reality that she now had two organic arms. Wonderingly, she stared at her left hand, running her thumb over her fingers and comparing the sensation to the same action with her right hand. They were identical, the feel of human skin and warm smooth flexible metal. Concentrating intently, she identified the each separate sensation and piece of information felt or obtained by her exoskeleton, the identification of oils and slight perspiration, and a measurement of heat.

Accessing her cortical node she went over the specifics of her exoskeleton again, this time admiring the efficient design of it. Her torso was not supported from her spinal column anymore, but rather by a complex array of rods that supported and protected her internal organs. Her spinal column was reinforced throughout its length, and covered with a flexible poly-deutonic-organic coating what was perforated to allow nerve bundles to pass through. It would take a significant amount of pressure to collapse her new poly-deutonic and tritanium alloy support structure.

A small smile graced her features, "Efficient," she commented approvingly. Seven turned her attention to her new nanoprobes and realized they were no longer Borg; they were vastly improved and had several safety measures to ensure that they could not be removed from her and used for other purposes. If she did not administer them through her exoskeleton, or specifically program them to remain active outside her body, they would automatically become inactive and break down within 30 seconds of being removed. Several new programming options were available to her from her cortical node that had previously only been possible using external methods.

Seven pondered all the physical changes, wondering exactly how they had come about. She remembered looking out from the regenerative tank and guessed that she had been damaged by the Mularan guard somehow, but why she had ended up in the main temple of Mulara instead of the Sickbay on Voyager she had no idea. Seven remembered the previous day, looked outside, and found herself once again admiring the garden. It was not a sensation she was entirely comfortable with, obviously she had been malfunctioning yesterday, yet the memory of it remained and with it the emotions that she had experienced.

Seven stood and stared down at her exoskeleton, she remembered that she had thought it beautiful; today she thought it aesthetically pleasing. Considering her response she glanced down and agreed with yesterday's assessment, her exoskeleton was beautiful. It combined form and functionality in a manner that appealed to her sense of perfection.

Seven looked out the door and knew that if she went the opposite way from the direction she had taken the previous day she would find a bathing pool. She grabbed up a few fruit to eat for her morning meal then paused as she fully realized something, she would never need to regenerate again as her new implants and exoskeleton did not require it. Once again a small smile graced her features, and grabbing a robe from the dresser to slip around herself she walked with light steps out into the garden.

Following a small path through broad-leaved plants, she found the hidden bathing pool. Soap, shampoo and towels were laid out next to it, and Seven realized that her needs had been anticipated, though she had seen no other person in the garden besides herself. Settling herself into the warm water, she looked around at the profusion of growing plants and the small stream that meandered away from a tall waterfall that was only a few meters away. She guessed that the water from the waterfall would be the perfect place to rinse after she was done with her bath. Seven lay back in the soothing water and relaxed, realizing as she did so that until yesterday it had been an unfamiliar sensation. She found herself distracted by thoughts that this was an inefficient waste of time, but something in her recognized that perhaps a bit of inefficiency could be tolerated now and then.

Letting the thoughts of her current inefficient use of time drift away, she consoled herself by thinking that she had nothing better to do anyway besides looking around the garden again. Eventually she sat up and began washing, then she exited the pool and walked over to rinse herself under the waterfall that was obviously designed for this purpose. The water was cool, but not unpleasantly so, and she stood under it for a while, appreciating the feel of it after the warmth of the bathing pool.

Once done with her rinsing, she dried herself with the towel, put back on her robe, and walked back to her room. Walking over to the dresser, she opened the doors and immediately noticed a comb and several hair clasps lying inside that had not been there before. Seven glanced around the room, wondering if someone had come in, but she saw nothing else that appeared to have been touched.

Now that she remembered what the Borg knew of the energy being called Mulara, Seven knew that it was entirely possible that things were being transported directly to various locations in anticipation of her needs, though why Mulara would take such an interest in her Seven did not know. She was aware that very few people were allowed into the area where she now found herself; the high priestess of the Mularan religion and those who were called the 'reborn'.

Uneasily Seven realized that since she did not belong in the first group that meant that she must logically belong to the second, the reborn, those who had died violently and unjustly and had been brought back from the dead by Mulara. She knew that several days were missing from her memory, and even though she wanted to know what had happened during that time, her mind shied away from contemplating what could have happened to her for her to have qualified to become one of the reborn.

The reborn in Mularan mythology always ended up playing an important role in Mularan history as peacemakers. Seven wondered apprehensively if she would be required to do the same, and how Captain Janeway would react to what she would probably see as a violation of Starfleet's Prime Directive.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she chose a cream-colored shirt and dark red pants along with dark red boots to wear. Seven considered the different wristbands and waistbands and chose cream wristbands and a dark red waistband. Closing her eyes for a second she concentrated on initiating the change in the color of her exoskeleton from blue to red.

Glancing at the door of the dresser, she realized it was mirrored on the inside and she looked at her reflection. She grabbed up the comb and combed her hair, and then she chose one of the hair clasps that looked as if it were made from a dark red wood that matched her pants and bound her hair back at the nape of her neck with it. She looked at her image in the mirror and was vaguely dissatisfied with it; she unbound her hair then tried combing back only the hair above her ears and fastening that. Now the hair clasp rested midway down the back of her skull and held tightly the hair from the top of her head and above her ears. The lower half of her hair was left free, examining herself in the mirror Seven decided she liked the look and nodded in satisfaction.

She heard the sound of a polite knock on the door and turned to see a Mularan woman standing outside her door awaiting her acknowledgement before entering. Seven opened the door and looked curiously at the Mularan woman, recognizing the high collared heavily embroidered robe the woman wore as the formal robes of a Mularan high priestess.

The woman smiled at her, "I am High Priestess Analea, I have been sent to answer some of your questions and to see how you are recuperating."

Seven responded, "I am Seven of Nine." Taking the woman up on her offer to answer her questions, she immediately asked, "What am I doing here, and why have my Borg implants been replaced?"

Analea replied, "Perhaps we can walk in the garden and I will answer your questions?"

Seven nodded stiffly, "That is acceptable."

Analea's mouth twitched and she turned and walked toward the garden area asking, "What is the last thing you remember Seven of Nine?"

Seven followed her, walking swiftly to catch up to where she could walk beside the woman, "I remember being hailed by a Mularan guard, when I turned he had his weapon drawn and he fired at me. I assume that he succeeded."

Analea nodded, "The rest of your memory will return to you in time when you are healed enough to remember it. Suffice to say, events happened that caused your death, Mulara intervened, transferred you to the inner temple, and brought you back to life. All of the reborn are gifted in different ways; your gifts are your new implants and exoskeleton. Your Borg cortical node and abdominal implant were badly damaged and needed to be replaced as it was, so Mulara decided to replace everything while you were healing. Do you like them? I thought they were beautiful when they appeared on your skin."

Seven asked, "You were there when I was healing?"

Analea nodded, "Yes I was there when the guardian brought in your body and placed it in the healing tank. Then the guardian placed its hand on your face and you glowed for several minutes. When the guardian removed its hand from your face, you were breathing again and all your Borg implants had disappeared. Your new exoskeleton showed up a few hours later."

Seven thought about this then asked, "Am I being held here? Why was I not transported back to Voyager?"

Analea paused, and looked at Seven, "Mulara has put up a force field around this entire area. So I guess the answer for now is yes you are being held here, but it's just until you are completely adapted to your new implants. I've seen the schedule of the High Priestesses that are supposed to meet with you, and it only continues for a week. I guess that you will be completely healed by that time and free to leave. Think of this as an enforced convalescence, not a prison Seven, you were injured so badly that you died just three days ago." The last was said softly and earnestly to Seven.

Seven sighed, "I will comply. May I contact Voyager while I am… convalescing?"

Analea replied confused, "I don't know how, there isn't any communications equipment in the inner temple, and Mulara has already made it clear that only High Priestesses will be allowed to enter and exit the inner temple while you are healing." Analea tapped her chin for a few seconds then said, "I can give them a message for you; I will be visiting Voyager later today to give them an update on your condition."

Seven inquired, "What will you tell them?"

Analea said, "I don't know yet, we haven't talked about how you are doing after all. Do you have any more questions for me? If not I want to find out how you are doing."

Seven asked, "As I am now one of the reborn will Mulara expect me to act in some way to change Mulara? Captain Janeway will not be pleased if I am required to do so as it breaks several Federation laws and directives."

Analea replied, "No you will not be expected to do something for us, some task may yet be expected of you but it will not be for my people."

Seven nodded and then stated, "I am functioning within acceptable parameters High Priestess Analea."

Analea chuckled and said, "Mulara said that you would say so, I'm pleased to see that she was right. I'm more interested in what you think of your new implants and exoskeleton. I see that you have figured out the process to make it change in coloration." Analea pointed at Seven's hand where the exoskeleton had completed it's change from blue to red.

Seven looked at her hand and noted that the color and nodded, "I have tried all the modifications except for the modification that covers them with a layer of skin. I shall try that next, but I believe I have mastered this skill."

Analea nodded, "How do you feel Seven, are you in any pain at all, any signs of a headache or any aches?"

Seven shook her head and said, "There are no signs that my body is rejecting the implants, the organic matrix is functioning as expected. My implants are all functioning normally."

Analea nodded and asked, "And how are you feeling, Seven? What's your emotional state?"

Seven said, "Feelings are irrelevant."

Analea shook her head, "No they are not; feelings tell us a lot about our state of being. Feelings can indicate whether you are stressed, or feeling threatened by something, they can even indicate illness. Now, how are you feeling?"

Seven sighed, "I am feeling well, it is peaceful here. I am starting to feel bored though; perhaps there is something I could study?"

Analea smiled, "Your boredom will soon be over, today is your last day of complete freedom, and starting tomorrow you will have a succession of teachers. You need to learn how to increase your strength; right now you are not much stronger than a normal human. But that can be changed, and tomorrow you will start learning how, as well as learning how to properly gauge and control your strength."

The two women walked through the garden silently for another two minutes. Finally Analea stopped and faced Seven, "If you have no more questions for me right now I think it's time for me to be going today, Mulara made it very clear she wants you to rest for most of the day."

Seven frowned, about to object, but before she could say anything Analea offered, "Why don't you experiment with your exoskeleton more. Have you tried solar and thermal energy gathering?"

Seven tilted her head over to the side briefly, and then shook it saying, "I have not attempted that."

The Mularan woman smiled, "I suggest combining it with sunbathing, you could use some color to your skin. I'm sure there are some towels…" A folded towel suddenly appeared in her hands in a shimmer of golden light and she laughed, "Such as this one right here, that you can spread out and use." With that, Analea handed the towel to Seven who bemusedly accepted it.

Seven said, "I do not have specified attire for sunbathing," as she unfolded the towel.

Analea shook her head, "Once I leave there will be no one else in the garden, take the opportunity to sunbathe nude. I do occasionally when I have the chance." With those parting words she turned to leave.

Seven called, "My message for Voyager." Analea paused and looked back inquiringly. Seven paused for a moment, "Tell them I am feeling well." Analea's mouth twitched, she nodded to Seven, and then continued along the path.

Seven watched her leave then shook out the towel and accessed her cortical node seeking information on how she was to absorb solar and thermal energy. As she processed the information, she absently began undressing, folding her clothes and neatly laying them on the grass by the towel.

Seven lay down on the towel and to her surprise found herself enjoying the feel of the sun on her back and the sensation of the occasional breeze blowing across her skin. Luckily a sound woke her before she experienced the condition known as sunburn first hand, and she rolled over onto her back. An hour later she sat up, gathered the towel around her, picked up her clothing and walked the short distance to the waterfall. There she cooled off under the stream of water, satisfied that she now thoroughly understood the thermal and solar energy conversion process of her new exoskeleton.


	4. I am Borg, Part 1, Chapter 4

I am Borg – Part 1 Phoenix - Chapter 4 By Kudara  
  
Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.  
  
Stardate: 52678  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: High Priestess Analea visits Voyager. Seven's continues to recover at the Temple.  
  
High Priestess Analea stepped off the transporter platform looking curiously at the two people waiting for her, from the memories Mulara had shared with her from Seven she knew that the red headed woman who radiated confidence was Captain Kathryn Janeway, and the taller man with a tattooed design around his eye was Commander Chakotay. Seven had an interesting relationship with the Captain; and Analea briefly wondered if the woman knew just how much Seven looked up to her and tried to emulate her.  
  
Janeway smiled and greeted the High Priestess, "Welcome aboard Voyager High Priestess Analea, I understand you have news for us about Seven's condition?"  
  
Analea nodded, "I do, and some issues that Mulara wants addressed before Seven can be returned to your crew. Mulara was most unhappy about some of the things she found in Seven's memory."  
  
Analea noted how Janeway's face tightened for a moment in a frown but then the woman sighed and nodded.  
  
Janeway replied, "Certainly, I haven't been too pleased about some of the things I've found out about Seven's experiences either. Shall we go to my Ready Room?"  
  
Analea nodded wondering how Janeway would react to some of the criticisms Mulara had about Janeway's treatment of Seven. Squaring her shoulders she resolved that she would make sure all of Mulara's concerns were dealt with before Seven stepped foot aboard the ship again. The young woman she had met this morning was so innocent and unknowingly open. Behind the words and mask of the Borg was a very sensitive and loving person.  
  
Analea moved through the ship with a sense of familiarity from Seven's memories, though she had no intention of letting the Captain know just how much she knew. They had reached the Captain's Ready Room and Janeway politely offered Analea a seat before taking her chair. Commander Chakotay took another seat and they both looked at Analea expectantly.  
  
"First I have a message from Seven for you, she said to tell you that she is feeling well." Analea chuckled as she watched the two Starfleet officer's faces and explained "I had to explain to her that feelings were not irrelevant when it came to her health. I'm fairly sure she wanted to convey that she was not in any pain or discomfort."  
  
Janeway asked, "How is she doing medically? Has she fully recovered from her injuries?"  
  
Analea replied, "She is recovering fairly quickly; she still doesn't have all her memories back yet. She remembers being fired upon at the space station but she doesn't remember anything past that point yet. It will probably be tomorrow or the next day before her mind is fully healed. The injuries to her body, though they were extensive are already fully healed. I suspect Mulara is deliberately suppressing the remaining memories until she feels that Seven is capable of handling them."  
  
Janeway frowned, "Mulara is capable of suppressing memories?"  
  
Analea said, "Mulara is a goddess; I know you think of her as a higher energy being but really, what difference is there between the two words? Mulara is a powerful being; suppressing Seven's memories until she is prepared to face them is a trivial task for her."  
  
Janeway replied, "I didn't mean to offend you; I just have issues with Seven's mind being tampered with."  
  
Analea frowned, "You did not offend me. If Mulara is suppressing Seven's memories then she knows that it would harm Seven if she were to remember them now. Give Mulara the benefit of a thousand years of experience Captain, she is acting in Seven's best interest."  
  
Janeway considered Analea's words and reluctantly nodded, it wasn't like she had much of a choice anyway. There appeared to be no way that Voyager could penetrate the force fields surrounding the temple, they were just too powerful. Seven would not be returned to them until Mulara decided to let her go, and that meant persuading her High Priestess that Seven should be returned to Voyager.  
  
Janeway straightened her shoulders, "I apologize if I sounded like I thought she wasn't High Priestess Analea."  
  
Analea said, "Apology accepted Captain, now about Mulara's concerns. Her primary one is Seven's living arrangements. Mulara finds the idea of Seven living in a cargo bay repulsive; it makes Seven sounds like a piece of machinery that is stored away until needed. Mulara feels that it contributed to the problems that Seven has with the Voyager crew."  
  
Janeway winced, "I had already considered that myself, I should have noticed it months ago and taken steps to change her living arrangements. When Seven came onboard as the representative of the Borg they set up their alcoves there, when Seven was severed from the Collective it just made sense not to move them and let her use the area. I should have considered that it was not really an acceptable arrangement for her though. There are a few empty quarters she can use; we just need to figure out a way to move an alcove into one of them. My Chief Engineer is working on trying to figure out how to modify one of the quarters for Seven already."  
  
Analea was surprised that the Captain had already taken steps to address the issue; perhaps Seven's admiration of the woman was not misplaced after all. Analea replied, "That is excellent news, but you do not have to move an alcove for Seven's use. Mulara replaced all of her implants; she does not need to regenerate using Borg technology anymore. Indeed she cannot use a Borg alcove; the interfaces are just not there."  
  
Janeway looked nonplused for a moment and then said, "Maybe you should fill us in on these changes."  
  
Chakotay spoke up then, "Maybe I should let B'Elanna know that she doesn't need to work on modifying the alcove anymore." Janeway nodded and Chakotay tapped his combadge, "Chakotay to Torres."  
  
A moment later the reply came, "Torres here." Chakotay continued, "You can stop working on the modifications of the Borg alcove for Seven's quarters; we just got news that she no longer needs it to regenerate."  
  
A distinct sigh came over the combadge, "And I just figured out how to successfully modify the alcove to work in her quarters. At least I won't have to figure out how to fit the thing in there now. Thanks for letting me know Commander."  
  
Chakotay smirked and replied, "Of course B'Elanna." and tapped his combadge to end the conversation. Janeway and Chakotay shared an amused look for a moment then turned back to the Mularan High Priestess.  
  
Analea said, "Now about the issues between Seven and the crew."  
  
Janeway grimaced to herself, this Mularan High Priestess was entirely too well informed. Janeway could tell this was going to be a long day.  
  
The next morning Seven awoke with a dry mouth, she now remembered waking up in the cell and the guards coming for her. She also remembered them shooting her with phasers when the cell's force field dropped. For a moment she wondered if the combined fire had been what killed her, but that didn't feel quite right. With a sickening sensation in her stomach she felt sure that what she didn't yet remember was frightening.  
  
Seven got up and found a fresh glass of juice and fruit awaiting her, this morning however there were new fruits available and with some curiosity Seven examined the greenish smooth skin of the fruit before she gingerly bit into it. The flesh inside was starchy in texture and had a sweet, bread like taste to it. Seven decided that she liked the taste as she finished the first and picked up another one to eat on her way to the bathing pool.  
  
Seven had just finished dressing after her bath when she noticed Analea outside the door with her hand poised to knock. Seven nodded to her and Analea dropped her hand and opened the door instead.  
  
Analea smiled at Seven and asked, "How are you doing this morning?"  
  
Seven stood stiffly with her hands behind her back and said, "I remembered more of the events leading up to my death while I slept. I am experiencing some... distress over what I do not yet remember. Why I should experience distress over what I cannot remember? Perhaps I am malfunctioning."  
  
Analea examined how the young woman was standing and said, "You are not malfunctioning, what you are feeling is probably anxiety, it usually manifests itself as elevated blood pressure and heart rate often accompanied by a mild nausea and muscle tension. Your body is getting ready for a possible threat so it's dumping endocrines into your system, which cause the physical symptoms. It's a typical response humanoids have to situations that they find threatening but the threat isn't obvious."  
  
Seven considered what Analea said and responded, "Memories cannot threaten me, this response is illogical. I am malfunctioning."  
  
Analea said, "No you are not; you know that the memories are of the events that lead to your death. That's reason enough for you to feel anxiety over remembering them. What you are feeling is understandable Seven; I would be concerned that you were malfunctioning if you didn't feel anything."  
  
Seven looked puzzled, "Clarify...please."  
  
Analea nodded, "You are human Seven, it's normal for you to feel anxious about remembering exactly how you died. If you didn't respond that way then something would be wrong with you. Now we should go over the healthiest way of dealing with situations in which you are feeling anxiety and there is nothing you can do about the situation that caused it. In this case there is nothing you can do to either prevent or hasten when you will remember, it will happen when your mind is healed enough."  
  
Seven nodded and said, "What is the proper protocol for dealing with anxiety?"  
  
Analea chuckled for a moment then with a more serious demeanor said, "First accept the emotion, that validates your response. The reason for this is you let your body know that you recognize it believes there is a threat situation, usually that automatically causes the body to relax when it knows its message has been received. The second thing is for you to try and relax. That lets your body know that it doesn't need to continue to stay prepared for a threat. The second step is very important; you can wear yourself out if you allow your body to stay in a prolonged state of threat preparedness. In your case your cortical node will process your attempt at relaxation as instructions for it to limit your biological response; your nanoprobes will start to break down the excess hormones in your system. I know that your Borg systems automatically attempted to limit your biological responses, but your new implants will allow you to control whether or not you wish your responses to be limited or not. The only time they will automatically act is when your implants determine that your biological response is damaging your health."  
  
Seven nodded and proceeded to comply with Analea's instructions, she found it odd at first to 'accept' the feeling of anxiety but after a few moments she realized that oddly enough the act of telling herself that it was ok to feel the way she was, did in fact cause a lessening of the emotion. Perhaps Analea was right and her body needed to know that she had received and understood the message that it thought there was a threat. Seven realized that she had no idea how she should 'relax' and asked, "How should I relax?"  
  
Analea had been expecting the question, "There are several methods, meditation, breathing techniques, and exercise are the most common. Do you know anything about any of those already?"  
  
Seven said, "Lt. Commander Tuvok has shown me how to perform Vulcan meditation techniques but that requires a candle."  
  
Analea nodded and replied, "Perhaps I could teach you some breathing techniques which do not require anything; you don't even need to have privacy which I believe is required for most meditation techniques."  
  
Seven nodded, "Please proceed."  
  
Analea said, "If it helps at first close your eyes, take a deep breath and on the exhalation think of breathing out the anxiety, when you inhale concentrate on relaxing your muscles. It shouldn't take but a few of these for your cortical node to activate your nanoprobes to take up the excess endocrine. It won't do it for long but it that should be long enough for the physical symptoms to ease."  
  
Analea watched as Seven immediately closed her eyes and began breathing deeply, she could see the blond woman's posture relax after a minute and knew she had been successful. Analea continued, "Sometimes you won't have time to fully understand why your body is reacting to something as a perceived threat for whatever reason. If that's the case you might want to use the meditation techniques to help you figure out why you reacted later in the day when you have some time and privacy."  
  
Analea said, "Now I am just the first of your visitors for today, remember I told you that yesterday was your last day of full relaxation?" Analea said the last with a small grin and Seven gave her a small smile and nodded. "And I told you that you would learn how to increase your strength as well as learning how to control it?"  
  
Seven nodded and Analea continued, "Think of your muscular system as having safeties like your nanoprobes, by default you will be limited to normal human strength and reactions. Automatically during times of stress you will be 20% stronger and faster than a normal human, not really enough for you to have to worry about accidentally harming someone. Your enhanced strength will only be available when you concentrate in a particular way. This information should already be in your cortical node." Analea looked inquiringly at Seven not entirely sure how this was supposed to work but she had been assured by Mulara that Seven would understand what to do once she was told to access her cortical node.  
  
Seven accessed her cortical node as she had been instructed thinking about accessing enhanced strength, suddenly information flooded her mind about exactly how she would have a 'normal' or resting state and an enhanced strength state. The fibers in her muscles and the nerve fibers that enhanced her muscular reactions were normally inactive, they would become active only when instructed by her cortical node, when they were activated they would greatly increase her muscular strength and reflexes. Seven wasn't sure how strong or fast she would be but it the information in her cortical node indicated it would be significantly more than her 'normal' state.  
  
Seven nodded to Analea and said, "I have successfully accessed the information; I understand how to initiate the fibers in my muscles and nerves for enhanced strength."  
  
Analea nodded pleased and pulled out a data pad, "Here are some exercises for you to do, I believe you already understand how to perform all the exercises listed?"  
  
Seven scanned the list and nodded to Analea "I know how to perform the listed exercises, why must I exercise though? In the past my nanoprobes ensured that I remained in good physical condition."  
  
Analea answered, "And they will continue to make sure that you remain in good physical condition, but you need to exercise to train your nervous and muscular fibers how to function in your enhanced strength state. Also the amount of fibers is directly related to how much you use your muscles and reflexes, the more you exercise the more fibers will be created until you reach the maximum level. Before you ask I don't know what the level is, I only know that there are only so many of the fibers that can be integrated into your muscles and nerves without actually harming you. Also, you don't have to access your enhanced state to exercise; only about one out of every five exercise sessions should utilize it, the remainder should all be done at your normal strength."  
  
Seven nodded and said, "When should I begin this exercise protocol?"  
  
Analea grinned at Seven and replied, "No time like the present, remember to monitor your hydration levels and drink when you need to. Oh and make sure you exercise today in normal state, tomorrow you will want to exercise in enhanced state." With that Analea nodded to Seven and turned and walked away.  
  
Seven looked back at the data pad, scrolling through it quickly and memorizing the data contained on it, when she looked back up she began what was called the 'Warm Up' which appeared to be a sub-routine of her exercise protocol.  
  
A few hours later Seven completed her exercise protocol, it had proven to be quite interesting giving her a chance to experience how her exoskeleton acted to moderate her body temperature and how her new nanoprobes reacted to physical exertion. Seven realized that she needed to eat; she had used up most of her energy reserves in the past two hours and needed to replace them. The feelings of hollowness in her stomach and the desire for food she identified with some regret as hunger, it was not a sensation she had felt when she had her abdominal implant. Seven wasn't sure she was pleased with these particular new sensations.  
  
Seven walked back to her room and found a fresh glass of juice awaiting her along with a fresh supply of fruits. She chose one of the greenish bread tasting fruits to eat along with her juice. After she ate she realized that she was tired, frowning Seven hoped that she would regain her previous levels of Borg endurance. For now though she gave into her body's needs and lay down on the bed for another afternoon nap.  
  
Seven's sleep was restless as information flooded her cortical node preparing her for the next stage of her physical training. Information equal to one year worth of training in unarmed martial arts, as well as training in several different melee weapons and ranged weapons were added to the wealth of knowledge already in her cortical node. As the information was processed Seven absorbed the knowledge as if she had actually spent the time practicing each skill.  
  
When she awoke Seven sat up abruptly trying to sort out all the information that she had suddenly acquired. Seven was finding what had occurred during her sleep unsettling; it seemed that every time she slept she either remembered something or received new information. Seven closed her eyes a moment and accessed her cortical node, all of her Borg gained information seemed to be there as well as everything she had experienced during her time on Voyager. All the information she had been receiving lately about her implants and now various forms of combat was entirely new to her. Seven reviewed the information available to her and decided that Mulara was making the new information available when she decided Seven needed it. Which logically meant that... Seven's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.  
  
A Mularan woman stood at the door, she was not dressed in the traditional robes of a Mularan High Priestess but in clothes that were similar to the ones Seven had been wearing while in the temple.  
  
Seven opened the door and the two of them stared at each other for a moment before the Mularan woman said, "Greetings, I am High Priestess Kayaln. I am your unarmed and weapons trainer."  
  
Seven studied the other woman for a moment then replied, "What is the purpose of this training?"  
  
Kayaln smiled tightly and said, "To train you to use your muscles and reflexes, nothing like the possibility of being hurt to inspire a person to move as quickly as possible."  
  
Seven arched her new cortical node pattern around her left eye in response to the comment, but merely replied, "Indeed." It was a useful response when one did not agree with a statement but did not feel inclined to argue that she had picked up from Lt. Commander Tuvok.  
  
Kayaln snorted and answered, "You need to do something that will require strength, agility and quickness. Unarmed and weapons training is the best way to incorporate all of that into an activity that can be useful and, dare I say it... you might even find it fun... I do. I understand you play Velocity with your Captain correct?"  
  
Seven wondered where the Mularan had learned this fact but she nodded in agreement. Kayaln said, "That's weapons training even if it doesn't appear to be, it combines accuracy, agility, quickness and strategy. And I suspect you consider it a pleasurable activity. This will just be more of the same. I will also give you some phaser training to improve your accuracy if you would like."  
  
Seven considered Kayaln's words and had to agree with them, Velocity was a very demanding sport and she enjoyed her matches with Kathryn even if the older woman won more often than not to Seven's disgruntlement.  
  
Seven nodded cautiously to Kayaln and asked, "Mulara provided the information on several different schools of unarmed martial arts and several different types of weapons, correct?"  
  
Kayaln nodded, "That would be correct, I know that you learned some unarmed martial arts and basic knowledge of how to handle various weapons. I will be training you in unarmed martial arts, which will by the way include how to attack opponents that have weapons. Something I think that may someday prove useful for you to know."  
  
Kayaln smirked at Seven and then with a more serious demeanor said, "What I need to know from you is which weapon would you like to concentrate on? Sword, staff, axe, or Klingon bat'leth. I can teach the sword, staff and axe, the bat'leth I can give you some instruction on how to use it, but Mulara will have to provide a teacher if you choose that weapon. No one on Mularan knows how to use it, which is not surprising since we hadn't heard of it before Voyager visited."  
  
Seven glanced at Kayaln wondering what she meant by the statement that Mulara would have to provide her with a teacher and out of curiosity she said, "Teach me how to use the bat'leth... please."  
  
Kayaln laughed loudly, "Somehow I knew that was the weapon you would choose when Mulara let me know which weapons you had to choose from. Let's start with the training I can teach you by myself. We will start the bat'leth training tomorrow. If you will follow me Seven, I will show you where the training area is located."  
  
Seven frowned slightly and said, "I have noticed no training area, nor any other doors besides the one leading to this room. Where is this training area?" Seven had followed Kayaln out into the garden as she was speaking and followed the Mularan woman into the garden.  
  
Kayaln replied, "I believe this is a new area, it's past the path that you take to go to the bathing pool."  
  
They walked past the path leading to the bathing pool and Seven looked in surprise at a path that had not been there earlier this morning. They walked up the new path and came to a pavilion like structure. In the middle of it was a large square that was covered with firm matting. To the side of it was a low table with a candle, it reminded Seven of the table in Tuvok's quarters. This was obviously the new training area. Seven asked, "This structure was present before my arrival in the inner temple garden?"  
  
Kayaln shook her head and answered, "No there is an indoor training area in another part of the temple. This is entirely new."  
  
Seven asked, "How did you know it was here? How does Mulara 'speak' to you?"  
  
Kayaln smiled at Seven, "Oh not in words, I'm sorry if we have been implying that we are actually spoken to, she talks to us in dreams. I learned about this when I was dreaming about teaching you; we walked from your room and up the new path and this was here. In the dream I mean, that's how I knew it would be here now."  
  
Seven frowned slightly and said, "When I regenerated I never dreamed, will all my dreams now come from Mulara?"  
  
Kayaln chuckled kindly, "No some of them will just be dreams, and you will know the difference. Mulara's dreams feel different, maybe it's because you remember them perfectly when you wake up. Normal dreams usually are hard to remember once you wake."  
  
Seven continued to look puzzled but nodded to Kayaln.  
  
Kayaln continued, "Ok I want to see your katas, run through them please."  
  
Seven nodded and bowed politely to her teacher before taking the mat and flawlessly running through the katas that she had been 'taught' during her nap.  
  
It took some time and when she was done Kayaln said, "Nicely done, each move looked very powerful. Remember though that martial arts moves are about more than power and force, they are also about grace and beauty. Your actions should flow from your soul to your body, from your body into the world. Ideally the way you perform your katas should be a reflection of your soul. And I know you have a beautiful soul Seven, Mulara would not have made you one of the reborn otherwise. What are some of the things you think are perfect Seven, and what are some of the things you think are beautiful?"  
  
Seven looked at Kayaln curiously but was willing to answer the woman, "When I saw the Omega Particle I saw perfection, I also saw beauty. I think my exoskeleton is beautiful. I think many of the flowers in this garden are beautiful." Seven paused and continued thinking, "I think that the Lt. B'Elanna Torres is beautiful, and Captain Kathryn Janeway is beautiful."  
  
Kayaln fought to keep a smile from her face and nodded seriously, "What is it about the things and people that you have mentioned that elevates them into beautiful, instead of merely being pretty?"  
  
Seven looked confused for a moment then her face fell into a Borg mask and standing stiffly upright she put her hands behind her back and questioned, "Clarify."  
  
Kayaln examined the woman in front of her and sighed inside. It was not the best time to turn this into a conversation about body language but it needed to be done. Kayaln said, "In a moment, right now we need to address something else. The way you are standing now, do you mean to be telling me that you are arrogant, prideful and perhaps there is something about my question that offends you?"  
  
Seven's mask fell for a moment and she glanced at Kayaln in pure confusion, "I am standing in a manner most comfortable for me. How can my way of standing say anything?"  
  
Kayaln tilted her head to the side and said, "Your abdominal implant and banding... that was the most comfortable way to stand with it?"  
  
Seven replied, "Yes."  
  
Kayaln nodded, "But you don't have an abdominal implant now. Have you ever studied human body language Seven? Humans and for that matter Mularans react instinctively to many things, the way you position your body when you interact with people is part of the conversation. The stance you are in now is usually interpreted as prideful and arrogant. The only time it would not be interpreted that way is if you were officially standing at ease, and even then I don't think that's Starfleet's at ease stance."  
  
Seven looked confused and dropped her hands from behind her back, now she looked entirely uncertain what to do with them. Kayaln's heart went out to the woman and she said, "Seven, look at me. I'm not telling you this to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm supposed to teach you, and that includes teaching you about how to interact with your chosen Collective. No one has told you about body language I gather, and it's put you at a disadvantage when dealing with others. Body language adds to your verbal communication, it can support your verbal communication, be neutral to it, or it can negate it. I suspect you have often unsuspectingly negated or altered the meaning of your verbal communications."  
  
Seven continued to look confused and Kayaln said, "Here watch me when I ask you to explain something. Hopefully my thinking about this won't mess me up; it's not something I think about consciously."  
  
With that Kayaln assumed a neutral stance, arms down loosely by her sides, shoulders square towards Seven but not rigidly so, posture upright but not stiff. "Seven, could you explain why the Omega Particle represented perfection to you?"  
  
Seven observed Kayaln's posture and mimicked it before replying, "I experienced a...moment of clarity when I watched the Omega molecule stabilize, and it seemed to be watching me. It was... perfection."  
  
Kayaln said, "Ah, such moments of perfection are difficult to describe. It was more than how the molecule looked; it was how you felt about the experience of looking at it. I was shown this Omega particle, at first it looked simplistic, yet the more I examined it the more I realized that behind the surface it was very complex. The harmony of the whole molecule, how one part flowed into the next, made the complex appear simple. That is what I saw in the Omega particle."  
  
Seven considered her words and nodded, "You are correct, it is a very complex molecule, yet in its stable state it forms a harmonious whole that is beautiful."  
  
Kayaln held up a finger and said, "Remember what we just discussed about the Omega particle, after I finish going over some more information about body language we will go back to it and I will explain what it has to do with your katas. Now the stance you are in is a basically neutral stance. Lets go over why, one your arms at your sides indicates that you are not defensive. Crossed arms are usually a sign of defensiveness especially when they are crossed over the chest area. A straight but neither too relaxed or tense posture indicates that you are attentive but not expecting an attack. Your shoulders are square facing me, which indicates that you are paying attention to what I am saying."  
  
Seven stared at Kayaln incredulous, "You are interpreting this all from how I am standing?"  
  
Kayaln nodded, "Yes I am, I'm convinced that in both our species social body posturing predated the development of speech. With the development of speech our body language's influence relative to spoken language decreased. However, we still instinctively use it to communicate certain things like how we are reacting to what the other person is saying, what we perceive our social position is relative to the person we are speaking to, and the level of threat we think the other person represents. So crossed arms are usually defensive, they indicate that the person feels the need to protect the torso, while dropped arms indicate that you aren't feeling threatened, and arms behind the back indicate that you either think the person is no threat to you, or in the case of a military stance, that you will initiate no threatening actions. However, I have noticed that for some people crossed arms represents a fairly relaxed stance, so it differs from person to person." Kayaln crossed her arms in a relaxed pose to demonstrate what she meant for Seven.  
  
Seven looked thoughtful and crossed her arms under her breasts, trying to mimic Kayaln's new pose, instead she succeeding in supporting and uplifting her chest and framing it perfectly. Kayaln's eyebrows rose and she decided that the body language the woman was projecting was other than what she had intended.  
  
Seven's face went from thoughtful to uncertain, Kayaln's reaction was not what she was expecting. The Mularan woman had a decidedly odd look on her face as if she were deciding how to react.  
  
Kayaln took a breath and said, "Seven with your build you need to cross your arms higher up on your chest, you should never cross your arm's underneath your breasts like that unless you are intending on making what would be considered to be a sexual display in any culture where women had secondary sexual development such as Mularans and Humans. In our culture the level of vulgarity would depend on the place and person that you did that to. A spouse or lover depending on the circumstances would probably consider it amusing and most likely an invitation."  
  
Seven's eyes widened and she flushed slightly as she hurriedly crossed her arms again, this time higher up on her chest. Kayaln nodded and said, "You're slightly tensed up so I would interpret this as slightly defensive." Seven took a few breaths and relaxed her stance. Kayaln made a suggestion, "If you are going for a relaxed look try arranging your hands so that your fingers rest on the outside of the arm and your thumbs are tucked under your arms to hold your hands there. One hand out, one hand tucked under looks more defensive than both hands outward. Both hands tucked under looks very defensive if you were wondering."  
  
Seven made the suggested change and looked down at herself saying, "Captain Janeway often uses this form of body language. This would be interpreted as defensive but not threatened?"  
  
Kayaln smiled and replied, "Very good, that would be how I would interpret that stance." Kayaln continued, "I think that's probably enough social lessons for right now, lets go back to discussing what the Omega molecule has to do with katas. You said that the Omega molecule's harmony makes it beautiful, I said that I thought that its harmony made it appear simple; we both agreed that it was actually very complex. Now to how this applies to your katas, your soul recognizes harmony of form as beautiful. Do you agree or am I incorrect?"  
  
Seven thought about what Kayaln had said and replied, "Harmony of form can be interpreted to be beautiful, it is what I find to be beautiful about these gardens. Harmony of form with function is what I find beautiful about my exoskeleton."  
  
Kayaln nodded and looked at Seven and stated seriously, "Then let your katas show harmony of form with function. Concentrate on making every move you make harmonious with its form and function. You know what attacks and defense moves the katas practice, make sure that the moves reflect their purpose. In that way they will show harmony with function. They should also reflect harmony of form, move precisely and with intent, and make sure you flow from one move to another. Your soul has a desire for perfection, bring it forth to your mind then show it in your body as you perform your katas."  
  
Seven looked at the Mularan woman uncertain as to how to go about accomplishing what suddenly appeared to be an insurmountable task.  
  
Kayaln interpreted the look correctly and said, "Start with a meditation of the Omega particle. Then strive to bring your passion for perfection into your performance of the kata. Remember that perfection is a goal; it is not going to be reached in one session. Strive to do your best every time you practice is all that I ask. Now meditate and when you are ready start your katas again. And do not forget that the Omega molecule is the most powerful known in the universe."  
  
With Kayaln's instructions fresh in her mind, Seven went over to the side of the pavilion where she could see a convenient low table with a candle and lighter set on top of it. Once there she knelt and lit the candle with the lighter and stared into the flame. She strove to clear her mind as Tuvok had taught and then she accessed her memory and watched again as the Omega molecule stabilized and she saw perfection.  
  
She held the memory in her mind and looked into the molecule, realizing that Kayaln had been correct, its harmony made appear simple, yet it was an incredibly complex structure. Seven strove to understand how this might apply to her katas and decided that she would have to be very precise and detailed yet harmonious in how she performed each move. If she succeeded the kata should look simple on the surface, yet when a more detailed examination was taken the complexity of each move should be seen. Seven was still uncertain how to accomplish the task however.  
  
Seven recalled that Kayaln had said that each move should reflect its purpose, and she should move precisely and with intent while flowing from one move to another. Perhaps if she concentrated on accomplishing that first, she would see how to accomplish the other. With this in mind she ran over the katas, focusing first on the purpose of each move of the kata. Each move had a purpose, as an attack, a defense or a mixture of both. Then Seven thought about how she could make each move flow more into the next, when she had performed them before each move had been very distinct. Now she understood that she needed to move continuously from one form to the next.  
  
When she thought she was prepared to try again she blew out the candle and went over to where Kayaln standing saying, "I believe I am ready to try again."  
  
Kayaln nodded saying nothing and Seven walked onto the mat and began her katas again from the beginning. When she was done Seven looked over to Kayaln and was pleased to see her teacher looking back at her with a smile. Kayaln said, "Much better, each move showed that you understood its purpose. You did not pause between them this time but kept your flow from one to the next, that is how it is supposed to look. Now let us spar for a while and I will see if you can put that knowledge into practice."  
  
They sparred until Kayaln called a halt for a break for water and food, then Kayaln started explaining to Seven how to react to armed opponents, another hour passed by before Kayaln finally called it a night. 


	5. I am Borg, Part 1, Chapter 5

**I am Borg – Part 1 - Chapter 5**

**By Kudara**

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.

Stardate: 52683

Rating: PG-13

Revision Date: 7/3/04; 7/06/07

Summary: Seven remembers how she died. Seven's new quarters get a special touch from the Mularan's. More bio-technobabble, Voyager's senior officers get a brief on Seven.

* * *

Seven dreamed of waking up on the interrogation platform. She remembered the cruel words that Ahaoe Muahe had spoken to her. She remembered how she had thought they were true, that B'Elanna Torres had told this man how much she hated the drone. Then her dreamscape switched abruptly and she hung, invisible and disembodied, above the establishment where the agents had approached the Chief Engineer.

A silent watcher, Seven observed as the scene unfolded. Lt. Torres seemed immediately suspicious of the Mularan who offered her drinks then began asking questions about Voyager, and quickly told him in no uncertain terms to leave her alone. A very few of the other members of the crew though, were not as suspicious, and accepted the offers of free drinks in exchange for news about Voyager's crew, and especially about Voyager's ex-Borg.

She experienced what occurred next in a state of remote detachedness as the dreamscape around her changed back to the interrogation room. The ex-drone knew that she had experienced terrible pain during the torture, but what horrified her most was the unreasoning look of hatred on Muahe's face. Seeing it, and repelled by it, she suddenly understood why hatred was said to be a dangerous emotion; it made one into something much worse than what one hated. She watched as her body was taken down from the interrogation platform, followed as she was taken to the Arch of Judgment, and she knew what Mulara had seen when she scanned Seven.

Resistant at first, Seven eventually accepted the conclusion Mulara had reached, she was not guilty of what she had done as a Borg. Guilt required the ability to choose between what was right and wrong, it required free will. Without the ability to choose one's actions, guilt was irrelevant, just as the ex-drone had once stated to Lt. Torres.

Seven felt a gentle agreement from outside of herself. She could feel remorseful over what she had been commanded to do, and she could feel angry that she had been used in such a manner. She could even hate the Borg Queen for what she had ordered her Tertiary Adjunct to do, but with Muahe's hate filled face fresh in her memory, the ex-Borg understood only too well what perilous path hatred could lead one to.

The ex-drone observed as Mulara's guardian was activated, moved to pick up her body, and then take it deeper into the temple where she was immersed in the healing tank as High Priestess Analea watched in wonder. The guardian healed her enough for her body to remain alive and reactivated her neural pathways, then healing tank gently removed all her Borg implants and replaced them with new implants specifically designed for her by Mulara.

Seven remained asleep after regaining all her memories, and in the morning she awoke, stretching slowly. The blonde had gotten into the habit of sleeping nude, discovering that she enjoyed the feel of soft sheets and bedding against her skin. She frowned as she recalled that she would have nowhere to sleep on Voyager, and resolved to ask Analea if she could relay to Captain Janeway a request for quarters.

Then the ex-Borg sat up in the bed abruptly as her mind filled with all that she had remembered and learned while she slept. The blonde rubbed her left arm absently, remembering how Muahe had severed it. Looking at it, seeing its wholeness, its lack of current injury, she felt the remembered pain fade. She tried to dismiss the memory of her torture in the same manner, but that was not so easily vanquished. Muahe's face, his rage and what he had done to her because of it, refused to be ignored, refused to be dismissed as irrelevant.

Unable to banish the haunting memories, she decided to comply with the desire she felt to walk in the garden. Dressing in a leaf green blouse and pants, she wandered along the inner temple pathways finding the harmony and beauty of her surroundings comforting. The green lushness of the leaves and the beauty of its colorful flowers, reminded her that she was alive, and it dawned on her that her attacker had died several days ago by the ritual punishment of beheading.

Seven wasn't sure how to react to the realization, part of her was fiercely pleased that the one who had hurt her so badly was dead, part of her was relieved that she would never have to fear Muahe finding her again, and part of her sorrowed for what he had let himself become. After a few minutes of struggling to understand what she was feeling, the ex-Borg decided that experiencing complex and conflicting emotions was particularly unpleasant and taxing.

Almost two hours later, prompted by her hunger, the blonde returned to her room, finding the now expected fresh juice and fruit selection awaiting her. Curious, and wondering why it hadn't occurred to her before, she touched a bead of juice on the glass's suface and concentrated on analyzing it. To her surprise, she realized that the 'juice' was certainly not just fruit juice, unless Mularan had some fairly unusual fruits. Besides the expected proteins, complex sugars, and carbohydrates, there were several different metallic and chemical elements present in sufficient qualities to poison a normal human.

Seven knew that she had suffered no ill effects from the juice. So why were the metallic elements and chemicals present? It was only a second before she realized that they were all precursors for the metallic alloys and chemicals used in her exoskeleton and in the fibers that ran through her body.

She picked up one of the red skinned fruit and bit into it and then laid an inquisitive finger against the blue flesh of the fruit to analyze it as well. Her exoskeleton detected more proteins, complex sugar molecules, and several minerals and vitamins. The blonde raised her ocular implant pattern at this finding and she quickly grabbed one of the green skinned fruits to test as well. The green skinned fruit was much higher in carbohydrates than the red skinned one, but otherwise they were very similar.

She drained the rest of the juice, considering the empty glass thoughtfully; obviously, the juice was required for her non-organic systems. Idly she thought that the Doctor was going to find the composition of it interesting, and then with an audible groan she realized how interesting the Doctor was going to find her. Upon her return it would doubtless take days to escape from Sickbay.

As Seven finished her breakfast, she stared out the clear door of her room, wondering if she would see either Analea or Kayaln this morning. When neither of the women appeared after twenty minutes had passed, she decided to proceed with her schedule for the day and picked up the padd with her exercise protocol. This morning she would be exercising in her enhanced state, and Seven was looking forward to the experience.

The ex-Borg knew she was supposed to use a device named a resistance belt for these exercises and wondered where she would find the item. A golden shimmer at the edge of her vision caught her eye and she turned and looked at her bed. A thick black belt now rested upon it. Seven walked over to the bed and picked up the belt in order to examine it. The belt was three inches wide and about an inch thick, the back was covered by a soft cushion and the front was covered in a protective black acrylic except for a few buttons on the side that activated it.

The blonde wished for a moment that she had a tricorder so she could examine the belt closer and determine exactly how it operated. According to the information contained in the padd the belt would generate a field that would provide resistance to her movements, allowing her to exercise in her enhanced state without having to perform any more repetitions of an exercise than she would in her normal state. Seven fastened the belt about her waist and went out into the garden to complete her exercise protocol.

* * *

Janeway sat at her desk in her Ready Room reviewing the reports from Voyager's various departments. The Mularan government had been very apologetic about Seven's death and as a result had been more than generous when trading with Voyager for supplies. Indeed, Janeway had come to the conclusion that the Mularan government was actually giving them too many supplies, and had firmly informed Huiah Mlaer that no more was needed. By that time it wasn't even an exaggeration, Voyager's cargo bays were fuller than they had ever been.

Lt. Torres had Engineering working around the clock making repairs to Voyager's external hull. Knowing that Voyager would be at the space station for at least another week Torres had felt comfortable in requesting that they take full advantage of the extra time to make more extensive repairs. She had even requested that they implement some of Seven's suggested upgrades to the ESP Systems while they were in space dock. The upgrades had previously been put in the Chief Engineer's good idea but not practical pile, because they required taking shields and weapons systems offline. However, as they were currently at a friendly space station, Torres felt comfortable requesting that the essential systems be shut down.

Janeway had authorized the upgrade after consulting with Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok and Cmdr. Chakotay, and it was due to be completed today. The admittance chime sounded at that moment and Janeway said "Come in," looking over to see who wanted to see her.

Chakotay entered the room, "High Priestess Analea would like to bring some items onboard for Seven's quarters. She also mentioned that she would like to talk to the Doctor and anyone else usually involved in Seven's care and let them know about the changes in Seven's physiology."

Janeway looked surprised for a moment and then thoughtful, "Do you think this means that they will be releasing Seven soon?"

Her First Officer replied, "I would say so, if they are bringing things for Seven's quarters and briefing us about what we need to know for Seven's health. I would think they are planning on releasing Seven fairly soon. Perhaps the High Priestess will let us know when today."

Janeway replied, "I hope so. Inform the High Priestess that she can come up as soon as she is ready, and let me know when she is ready to be transported up. I need Tuvok to be there as well, I want him to do an unobtrusive a scan of what the High Priestess is bringing aboard as soon as possible. I don't want to offend her, but I need to make sure they aren't transporting anything aboard that isn't permitted."

Chakotay nodded, "Understood, I will let him know, and I'll let the High Priestess know that she can come up as soon as she is ready to as well." He waited for Kathryn's answering nod before she turned back to her reports, and then turned and exited the Ready Room.

An hour later Chakotay contacted Janeway on her combadge, "High Priestess Analea is ready to come aboard. We transported up the items for Seven first and Tuvok is going over them right now. They sent up clothes, some pictures, a Bat'leth and some data padds. Tuvok wants to examine the data padds further; it looks as if they are sending up replicator patterns and holodeck programs."

Janeway raised an eyebrow at hearing holodeck programs, "Interesting, especially since they don't have holographic technology that I'm aware of. I'll be right there Commander." She tapped her combadge again to close the channel and exited her Ready Room to head toward the Transporter room on Deck 4.

The Captain arrived at the Transporter room a few minutes later and nodded to Chakotay and Tuvok, then looked at the transporter operator and said, "As soon as the High Priestess is ready beam her aboard Ensign."

A few moments later the form of High Priestess Analea appeared on one of the transporter pad with a short stack of data padd's in her hand. "Good morning Captain, Commander and this must be your Security Chief, Lt. Commander Tuvok," she said as she stepped off the transporter pad she smiled at the people awaiting her.

The two men returned the pleasantries and Janeway said, "Good morning High Priestess Analea, I understand you have a few things you brought up for Seven's quarters." She glanced at the two containers that had been transported up earlier and said, "Site to site transport authorized to Seven's quarters, Ensign." As the two containers disappeared the Captain looked at the data padds Analea carried and asked, "Those have the information about Seven's physiological changes that you need to go over with us?"

"Yes, they do. What time did you want me to discuss them with your Doctor?" Analea asked.

Janeway looked at the chronometer, "Which did you want to do first? Unpack the items you sent for Seven's quarters or brief my staff?"

The Mularan was surprised, "Staff? I didn't know so many people were involved in Seven's medical support."

The Captain replied with a small smile, "I would have to have the Doctor repeat everything to my Senior Staff if you only briefed him, so I would like for Commander Chakotay, Lt. Commander Tuvok and Lt. Torres to attend the briefing in addition to the Doctor."

Analea nodded, "It should not take me long to unpack the items for Seven if there is a way to display the pictures and her Bat'leth easily. I would prefer to do that first then meet with your…staff."

Janeway knew she really didn't have the time to help the High Priestess unpack, but she was intensely curious about what the Mularan woman had brought. "Certainly if you will follow me I will show you where Seven's quarters are located. I understand you brought some replicator patterns and holodeck programs along as well?" The Captain asked determined to find out if there had been a violation of the Prime Directive.

The High Priestess answered, "Yes, Mulara made those for Seven. I understand the replicator patterns are for the liquid supplement that she drinks, and for the Pujaa and Quara fruits that she has been eating. I don't really know much about the holodeck programs, I gathered from Mulara that you have a technology that allows you to make a room look like other places. The program Mulara showed me was one to make the room look like the inner temple gardens. I don't know what the other programs are of, except that they are exercise programs."

The Captain was taken aback by the unexpected answer, recovering quickly she commented, "The inner temple gardens? Perhaps before you go you can show me around those in the holodeck, I would like to see where Seven is recuperating." Janeway turned to Chakotay, "Commander would you contact Lt. Torres and the Doctor and let them know of the briefing, and you have the bridge while Tuvok and I show High Priestess Analea to Seven's quarters."

Chakotay's lips twitched and his eyes laughed at her, but he only said, "Of course Captain," and turned to leave for the Bridge.

Janeway knew the Commander was amused at her giving into her curiosity, he knew she hadn't finished with the departmental reports. "This way High Priestess Analea," said Janeway. She waited for the woman to follow her then headed for the turbolift for Deck Nine.

The three of them made their way to the quarters that had been assigned to Seven of Nine. As the door opened they walked into a large open rectangular room with a dining table placed immediately to the left and openings on either side that lead to the bedroom on the left and to the bathroom on the right. A sofa in a blue-grey fabric was placed against the wall farthest away from the door, in front of it was a nondescript grey coffee table. Another couch and chair were placed next to it on the right hand wall. The walls of the quarters were the usual metallic grey of the rest of the starship.

High Priestess Analea examined the room keenly, hiding her dismay at its dominant grey color scheme. "Can the lights in this room duplicate natural sunlight?" she asked.

"No, that takes hydroponic lights," said Janeway. "I can have engineering install some if they are needed." Puzzlement was obvious in her voice.

Analea replied, "Yes, she will need an area where she can absorb natural light at least a few hours each week for maximum health. Her exoskeleton is designed to use thermal and light energy as part of her energy sources. Perhaps around the bed or the couch area?" proposed Analea.

Janeway took another look at the room trying to decide which area would be better and replied, "The bed would probably be the easiest, a set of ceiling lights should be sufficient. I'll get engineering to add those later today."

Analea walked over to the two containers and opened one of them revealing several paintings. Janeway walked over to look at them and was amazed; they ranged from scenic landscapes, studies of flowers, and one large impressionistic painting whose subject she immediately recognized, the stable Omega molecule. This was the first painting that High Priestess Analea picked up and as she walked to the far wall she asked, "How do I hang these?"

Janeway examined the back of one of the paintings in the container and then went over to the replicator for the proper hanger; a metallic clamp would affix it to the wall. She took the painting from Analea and attached the hanger then with a raised eyebrow asked, "Where did you want to place it?" She lifted it above the couch and looked at Analea.

Analea smiled, "That's where I was thinking of placing it." They both stepped back and examined the placement, the painting was rather large and its cool whites and blues added a touch of light to the wall. Analea pulled out two other paintings, this time smaller ones of flowers and said, "I was thinking of placing these on either side of the bed."

Placement of the paintings continued while Tuvok busied himself with examining the replicator and holodeck programs with the occasional raised eyebrow at the two women as they discussed the best placement of the paintings Analea had brought. Finally finished, the two women stood back and examined the effect. The art completely changed the tone of the room, altering the impression of monochromatic emptiness, to one much more welcoming and colorful.

Next Analea carefully unwrapped the silver poly-deutonic Bat'leth. Janeway and Tuvok came over and examined the weapon, admiring the workmanship. Light shimmered along its surface, revealing that the blade was composed of many layers of metal, giving the metal of the blade a watered effect similar to old Earth Damascus steel. The outline of the Bat'leth was different from modern Bat'leth blades, the tiq and van at the ends of the main blade were more flared than the typical Bat'leth. Inscribed onto the length of the blade, one word under each grip, were the Klingon words for Duty, Loyalty, and Honor. Qu', matlh, and batlh.

"It's beautiful," commented Janeway. "But why give Seven a Bat'leth?"

"Seven will need to exercise to maintain her enhanced strength and agility, unarmed combat and weapons training is part of the exercise program that was developed for her. She chose the Bat'leth as the weapon she wanted to learn," said Analea.

Janeway tilted her head to the side as she considered the High Priestess's words and said, "I'm starting to really get curious about this briefing. Let me replicate a hanger for this."

They choose to place the Bat'leth on the wall to the right side of the door; finally all that was left to unpack were the clothes that Analea had brought up with her. As they unpacked the clothing Janeway asked, "Why bring clothing instead of replicator patterns?"

"Power cost," replied Analea, "This material is similar to the material of the biosuits Seven used to wear. It's designed to work with Seven's implants and her new exoskeleton. It's threaded with poly-deutonic and tritanium fibers which not only provide protection, but also work with Seven's systems to maintain her body temperature and allow her to sense different environmental information." Seeing Janeway's confused expression, the Mularan assured her, "It will all be clearer after I explain some of the things her exoskeleton can detect and analyze."

When the High Priestess pulled blue science Starfleet uniforms out of the container, Janeway stared at them in surprise. "The Doctor designed her outfits," the auburn-haired Captain commented, "I never thought about having him make ones that looked like Starfleet uniforms. Perhaps it might have helped her fit in better, I assume that she will be wearing these while on duty?"

"I would suggest it, for the very reason that you mentioned. It will help her fit in with the rest of the crew, especially since she is the Chief of Astrometics," answered Analea.

Tuvok spoke up at that moment, "I would like the Doctor to go over these replicator patterns. I see nothing wrong with the two fruit patterns but the liquid supplement would appear to be deadly to most humanoids. The amount of metallic and chemical elements would appear to be poisonous."

Analea nodded, "To us yes it would be poisonous, but not to Seven. She needs those elements; they are the precursor molecules for the fibers that support her nervous and muscular systems."

Janeway looked at the now empty containers, "I believe that we are done here? It's about time for the briefing."

Analea took one last satisfied look around the quarters then nodded to Janeway. "Lead on," she said.

Janeway smiled at the comment then proceeded to lead the way to Voyager's Briefing room. Once there, she took the seat at the narrow end of the table and indicated to Analea that she should take the seat on her immediate left. The rest of the senior officers filed into the room within a few moments and settled themselves. Janeway said, "You already know everyone here except for the Doctor and Lt. Torres my Chief Engineer."

The Doctor said, "I understand you have information on Seven's current medical condition?"

Janeway frowned at the Doctor reprovingly, but Analea merely handed the hologram one of the data padds she was carrying. "All of these contain the same information. I only brought three though, so you will have to share." With that statement Analea handed the Captain the other two remaining padds, leaving it up to her to decide who received the third one. Janeway handed the extra padd to Lt. Torres and then looked expectantly at the High Priestess.

Analea began, "I know very little about engineering or chemistry so you will certainly understand more of the data contained on those padds than I do. I was present when the guardian brought Seven's body into the inner temple and placed it in one of the healing tanks. I then assisted the guardian by inserting a breathing tube and mask. Once that was done, the guardian brought Seven back to life. She was still severely damaged though; her cortical node had been damaged by phaser fire prior to the torture, and her abdominal implant was severely damaged by Muahe's attack. Over the next six hours I watched as her Borg implants dissolved away and her body healed. Six hours after that her new implants and exoskeleton started appearing."

Analea paused for a moment to see if anyone had any questions but they were all silent and obviously waiting for her to continue, "Mulara moved her to the reborn's room off the inner temple gardens the next day. I understand she woke briefly the day she was moved, but did not stay awake for long. The third day Mulara removed her from the healing tank. I know she woke that day and walked around the garden for a short time, but we were not permitted to see her. On the fourth day she had regained enough of her memory to know who she was and remember everything leading up to her kidnapping. This morning I was informed that she has remembered everything leading up to her death. She is dealing with the information very well, I understand that she walked in the garden some and then began her exercises for today or her exercise protocol as she calls it."

The Doctor asked, "Do you know why it took her so long to regain her memory?"

"I believe it was a combination of the damage done to her cortical node before her torture, then the removal of all her Borg implants and the need to fully adapt to her new implants," said Analea.

The Doctor nodded, "Do you know how many more days you will keep her before releasing her?"

Analea answered, "Three more days, she's still needs training on how to use her new muscular and nervous system enhancements. We want to make certain that she can safely use them without injuring herself or others."

B'Elanna said, "Your talking about these metallic-organic fibers that are incorporated into her muscles aren't you?"

"Yes, and the fibers that assist her nervous system," replied Analea.

B'Elanna frowned at her data padd, "This would be easier to understand if I could program it into a holoemitter, I'm not a molecular biochemist. Doc these descriptions of Seven's support structure…is it saying that the support rods expand and contract?"

The Doctor replied, "Yes, using almost the same mechanics as your ligaments and muscles." He added helpfully, "I could create a hologram of this information within a few minutes down in Sickbay. Commander Chakotay and Lt. Commander Tuvok would then be able to see the data as well then."

Janeway looked over at the High Priestess who shrugged uncertainly as she was unfamiliar with the technology. "If you think that would be helpful," the High Priestess responded.

Janeway nodded to the Doctor, "We will meet you in Sickbay then Doctor."

A few minutes later the five of them walked into Sickbay, the Doctor was in his office and as they entered the area and arranged themselves around his desk a hologram appeared of Seven's exoskeleton and support structures. They all looked at the hologram for a few minutes then B'Elanna said, "Can you take out all the fiber systems for now?"

The Doctor made a few adjustments and the haze that had obscured the rod support structure disappeared, giving everyone a clear view of Seven's new exoskeleton and the skeletal support structure.

Janeway inquired curiously, "What's the metal that's covering her skeletal structure?" As she looked at the silver representation of Seven's skeleton.

Analea replied, "A tritanium-poly-deutonic alloy matrixed with an organic. I don't know the name of the organic, but I do know that it's tagged with Seven's own immune markers so that her body will not attempt to reject it."

B'Elanna asked, "Doctor can you get the hologram to bend and move, I want to see how those support rods react to movement."

The Doctor nodded and made a few adjustments and they all watched as the exoskeleton support structure reacted to the simulated movement. A side projection showed a greatly magnified section of the rod, detailing at a molecular level the specifics of how they were expanding and contracting.

B'Elanna examined the exoskeleton and rods with a practiced eye, admiring the aesthetics and functionality of it. "Look at how these rods are arranged to dissipate force by dividing it along several rods instead of just one. It reminds me of Voyagers hull reinforcements."

Janeway nodded, "Yes it does. Oh, and before I forget," she looked at Lt. Torres, "Engineering needs to put in hydroponics lights over Seven's bed."

B'Elanna nodded once in acknowledgement and stepped over to an open console to put in the request. Behind her she heard the Captain say, "Now, I would like to see how this exoskeleton transforms light and thermal energy into a form Seven can use."

It took the Chief Engineer only a few seconds to enter the request. When she returned to the group, the Doctor was explaining, "It's rather ingenious actually, these fibers extending through the exoskeleton contain molecules that react to photonic and thermal energy. Then the energy is transferred to produce Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP, which of course is the molecule the body uses to supply energy to our cells. The exoskeleton system is very similar to the method plants utilize to process photonic energy. Next the ATP molecules are transferred to these specialized nanoprobes, which then travel through the bloodstream and migrate into the cells where they remain until the body's own ATP has been exhausted. Then they release their ATP into the cell and return to the exoskeleton to be replenished."

Analea nodded, "That's correct, the exoskeleton can also excrete a complex enzymatic and acidic liquid that can break down most inorganic into molecules that can either be absorbed if they can be used by her body or molecules that can be broken to produce energy. It can also recombine molecules to produce more energy or to produce useful molecules. The energy produced is then transferred in the same way that light and thermal energy."

Janeway looked amazed, "Chemical fission and fusion reactions? Federation science hasn't really done much with either since it's easier to produce energy by other means. The complexity of the chemical reactions required though…" Janeway shook her head, "All of this takes place in the exoskeleton? I don't see how…"

Analea replied, "Oh no, the exoskeleton only breaks down the molecules so far, then they are transported by nanoprobes to the bio-implants that are connected to her stomach and intestines. The exoskeleton doesn't have the ability to break down the molecules further. Only these bio-implants have the ability to break and recombine molecules, if the Doctor would bring up just the digestive tract data?"

The Doctor made a few more entries and everything cleared away except for what were obviously the modifications to Seven's digestive tract. To everyone's surprise the modifications extended almost the entire length of the tract, from her mouth through to her lower intestines.

"As you can see Seven's mouth and esophagus are protected by an artificial epithelial layer, this ensures that metallic and chemical compounds that would damage her tissues are not absorbed until they reach the stomach. Once they arrive at the stomach they can be broken down for use by the body. Any toxic elements that are left over are neutralized and can be safely expelled through her urinary tract." Analea explained.

"What are these connections?" asked Tuvok indicating what appeared to be linkages between Seven's mouth and nasal passages and her brain and cortical node.

Analea answered, "She has conscious control over how sensitive her sense of taste and smell are she can modify either or both to be very sensitive or conversely rather insensitive depending on the situation."

"Lucky her," replied B'Elanna dryly, thinking of some of Neelix's cooking. Analea's eyes danced and B'Elanna wondered if Seven had said something about the spicy food the Talaxian cook frequently served.

"Redundant cortical nodes," muttered the Doctor and everyone but Analea stared at him curiously. He tapped his console and suddenly the digestive system information disappeared to be replaced by what was obviously Seven's nervous system. "Redundant cortical nodes in the chest cavity and legs, can she use them concurrently with the main cortical node?"

"Yes, she has not learned how to do so yet, but she has that ability," replied Analea. "As you can see every part of her nervous system is augmented by fibers that can transmit nerve impulses much faster than her organic systems. These fibers are also connected to her exoskeleton, and utilizing the thermal and pressure sensors embedded in the exoskeleton can detect a wide range of environmental information. The degree to which her exoskeleton is tactilely and environmentally sensitive is under her conscious control."

They were all silent for a few moments studying the data they had been given, "Anyone have more questions right now?" prodded Janeway.

"Yes," said the Doctor, "she used to have an ocular implant. I see that the exterior part has been replaced by exoskeleton, but the ocular implant itself doesn't appear to have been replaced. If I understand this data correctly, she now has two organic eyes, and there appear to be several of the nervous system fibers directly interacting with her optical nerve and the cortical node".

Analea hesitated, ordering her thoughts so she could explain, "You are correct Doctor. Currently she simply has enhanced visual acuity; from my understanding she could eventually regain all of the functionality of her ocular implant. However, how, or even if, those abilities develop depends on whether or not she consciously wishes them to."

After she finished, the Doctor's brow was not the only one raised in surprise as they absorbed the statement. Janeway looked around the room again, the Doctor and B'Elanna were once again studying their padd's, but looked more thoughtful than confused. "If that's all I for one would like to see the holodeck program High Priestess Analea brought along of the inner temple gardens. Provide of course that my Security Chief agrees?"

Tuvok said, "I see nothing wrong with the program, I too would appreciate seeing where Seven is staying." Tuvok paused and then handed the Doctor the replicator pattern padd and said, "Doctor, would you please examine these replicator patterns prior to them being added to Seven of Nine's personal replicator database."

The Doctor nodded to Tuvok and said, "I'll go over these today, in the meantime I would like to examine this data further."

B'Elanna said, "I'll pass for now, I'd rather go over this data with the Doctor. Will the program be public so I can see it later?"

Analea replied, "All of the programs I brought were designed for Seven, but they can also be used by others. I see no problem with making them available to your crew."

Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok and High Priestess Analea left for one of the holodecks, leaving the Doctor and B'Elanna engrossed in the data the High Priestess had brought.


	6. I am Borg, Part 1, Chapter 6

I am Borg – Part 1 Phoenix - Chapter 6 By Kudara  
  
Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all who sail in her belong to Paramount/Viacom and no infringement of copyright/trade marks is intended.  
  
Stardate: 52683  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Seven has her first Bat'leth lesson. Seven learns more about how to interact with humans. B'Elanna has an interesting discussion in the mess hall with Harry and Tom. Seven begins to learn how to control her enhanced strength and agility. Seven says goodbye to Analea and Kayaln.  
  
Klingon:  
  
jInepbe' - I do not lie  
  
jItojbe' - I do not deceive  
  
jIHoS - I am strong  
  
wanI'mey vIqaSmoHbogh vIlaj – I accept the events which I cause to happen  
  
batIh jIvang - I act with honor.  
  
MajQa' – Very good or Well done.  
  
Seven finished with the day's exercise protocol, the resistance belt had functioned perfectly. Even when she had used her full strength the belt had provided enough resistance that every repetition of an exercise had been difficult to complete. Now feeling drained and tired, Seven wanted nothing more than something to eat and drink, as well as rest, to regain her energy.  
  
Seven walked back to her room and helped herself to the juice and fruit available there, then she laid down on her bed and dozed lightly. She wasn't feeling particularly sleepy so she didn't actually fall asleep; instead she ran over her Bat'leth moves in her head as she waited for her energy levels to return to normal.  
  
After an hour had passed Seven felt refreshed and she sat up, wondering when Kayaln or Analea would arrive today. As she gazed out into the garden she saw Kayaln approaching along the path. Seven swung her feet off the bed and stood up, eagerly exiting her room and going to meet the woman.  
  
Kayaln smiled at Seven and asked, "Anticipating your first Bat'leth lesson are you?"  
  
Seven quirked her lips slightly, "Yes, I am also curious to find out how I will be trained."  
  
"As a matter of fact, so am I," said Kayaln, "why don't we head over to the training area and find out who awaits us."  
  
"Mulara gave you no indication?" asked Seven curiously.  
  
Kayaln replied, "Not this time, but then Mulara likes to surprise people. I suspect this will be one of those times."  
  
As they spoke the two women walked toward the training area, when they approached the pavilion they saw a tall form awaiting them. As they got closer it was clear that the form belonged to what appeared to be a Klingon woman. A weapons rack holding three Bat'leth's was also a new addition to the pavilion area.  
  
The two women approached the Klingon who stood with her arms at her side giving them both an intelligent penetrating look as they approached. Her gaze rested longest on Seven of Nine who straightened under her regard as they paused in front of the woman. "I am M'ara," said the Klingon woman, "I understand you think you are worthy of learning how to fight with the Bat'leth."  
  
Seven was uncertain how to respond to the Klingon, it sounded as if the woman was challenging her to prove that she was worthy. Finally she chose a cautious answer. "I desire to learn how to fight with the Bat'leth."  
  
"Desire!" laughed the Klingon woman, "You can desire many things, I am speaking of honor. Why should I teach you how to fight with Kathless's Sword, why are you worthy of learning? You are not even Klingon, why don't you choose to learn how to fight with a sword or axe?"  
  
"I want to learn how to fight with the Bat'leth, not the sword or axe. If you did not want to teach me how to use the Bat'leth, then it should not have been one of the weapons that you taught me while I slept," said Seven with a decidedly arrogant tone, not backing down an inch from the Klingon woman.  
  
Kayaln had to resist chuckling over the scene. The ex-Borg was certainly not lacking in courage, or maybe foolhardiness in this case, considering who she probably was confronting.  
  
"Well you certainly are not lacking in courage. But what of honor?" said M'ara.  
  
"jInepbe', jItojbe', jIHoS, wanI'mey vIqaSmoHbogh vIlaj, batIh jIvang," growled Seven.  
  
"MajQa'!" laughed M'ara. "Let us begin then with your kata's then." M'ara indicated the weapons rack and waited for Seven to select a Bat'leth.  
  
Seven paused for only a second, then walked over and chose the uppermost Bat'leth. Carefully holding it under her arm she walked over to a spot several feet away from M'ara and began her kata's.  
  
In a few moments M'ara said in disgust, "Stop! You are not chopping down trees. If you want to chop down things take up the axe. The movement of the Bat'leth should always be fluid, it should never stop. The end of one motion should flow into the beginning of the next. Begin again."  
  
Seven glanced for a moment at Kayaln recognizing that she needed to move with the Bat'leth the same way as she had learned the day before in unarmed training. Taking a breath she paused for a moment to think of the Omega molecule then began the first Bat'leth kata again.  
  
M'ara watched her for a few minutes nodding to herself then asked, "Can you clearly visualize the moves by your opponent that you are countering?"  
  
Seven considered the question for a moment then shook her head, "No I cannot."  
  
M'ara nodded looking satisfied, "I thought that might be the problem." She turned and picked up a Bat'leth and walked over across from Seven. "Begin the first kata again; I will demonstrate the opponent's moves."  
  
Seven began the first kata again, and M'ara moved with her, gracefully and powerfully demonstrating the counter moves. The two of them worked through the afternoon, until they had completed the final kata.  
  
"Well done," complimented M'ara after they had finished, "Meet with me again tomorrow after you have completed your exercises and we will continue your training." With that statement the Klingon woman walked over to the weapon rack and hung her Bat'leth upon it, she then disappeared in a golden shimmer of light.  
  
Seven raised her ocular implant at this and turned to Kayaln and stated, "My Bat'leth training appears to be completed for today. Did you want to continue my unarmed training at this time?"  
  
Kayaln smiled, "Lets get a bite of something to eat and drink first. I also want to go over a few things with you before we begin your training. More body language information," Kayaln clarified seeing Seven's questioning look as they began walking back to Seven's room.  
  
Seven looked pensive for a moment, "Kayaln would you relay a request to Voyager for me?"  
  
"Quarters," guessed Kayaln with a smile.  
  
Seven was surprised, "Yes, a request for quarters. I do not need to regenerate anymore. I will need a place to sleep... the thought of sleeping in the Cargo Bay is...unpleasant."  
  
"You need your privacy Seven, it's something you have the right to. You should have been given quarters already...at least that's my and Analea's point of view. In any case, the request has already been made and accepted, you have quarters on Deck 12 waiting for you. Analea requested that quarters be assigned to you during her first trip to Voyager," said Kayaln.  
  
Seven replied, "Thank you," and graced Kayaln with one of her rare smiles.  
  
"Your welcome," replied Kayaln looking at Seven and watching the minute play of emotions that were running across her face. Kayaln realized that Seven was experiencing several different emotions at the thought of having her own quarters. "It's quite a change isn't it," she stated.  
  
Seven nodded thoughtfully, "I will adapt."  
  
B'Elanna sat in the mess hall slowly eating her dinner and studying the information High Priestess Analea had given them about Seven. B'Elanna and the Doctor had thoroughly went over the information earlier in the day. Now B'Elanna was going over how the bio-implants generated energy using chemical fission and fusion reactions. She had a second padd that she was entering notes into; her mind was germinating the idea for a chemical reactor for Voyager's use based upon Seven's bio-implants.  
  
The Federation had not deeply researched chemical fusion and fission due to the fact that other energy sources were available that were far simpler to use. In the Delta Quadrant, however, resources such as dilithium, were far more scarce and difficult for Voyager to obtain. Seven's new bio-implants were very sophisticated, and the matter to energy conversion rate was very efficient. It wasn't as efficient as the warp engines matter anti-matter energy conversion but any type of matter that didn't produce dangerous waste products would work as fuel. The trick would be to replace the end product, adenosine triphosphate, with something that was compatible with the existing plasma grid.  
  
The seating of Tom Parris and Harry Kim across from her drew her attention from her reading. "Those the technical specifications for Seven," smirked Tom. Harry frowned slightly at his friend, he had never been happy with the way Paris spoke of Seven.  
  
B'Elanna frowned, "What do you mean by that, Paris."  
  
Tom rolled his eyes and said, "What's up with you, you're the one who always called her a machine. Now she's even more of one."  
  
"And I was wrong," replied B'Elanna shortly.  
  
"Hey, just because your feeling guilty doesn't mean your were wrong. She does act like a machine, all efficiency and little emotion. As you've said, the perfect Borg Ice Princess," replied Tom trying to needle B'Elanna. After all he wasn't the one who had made up most of the nicknames for Seven, where did B'Elanna get this self-righteous attitude from all of a sudden.  
  
B'Elanna grimaced at the reminder of one of the derogatory terms she had made up for Seven, "Why would she want to show us whether or not she was hurt by what we said? I wouldn't if I were her. Did you know she can hear even better than I can? She could before she died," B'Elanna tapped the data padd Analea had brought. "This information makes it clear that the new implants provide the same auditory sensitivity as the Borg implants did. I doubt that there was much that was said in whispers around her that she didn't hear. Somewhat like I hear everything that's said about me." B'Elanna finished with an angry look at Tom.  
  
"I've never said anything about you B'Elanna," protested Tom.  
  
Harry had been silent throughout the exchange but now he spoke up, "But you've said several things about Seven. And most of them were when she was near. What B'Elanna's saying is; why would Seven want to trust you enough to show her emotions, you treat her like a friend to her face but you talk about her behind her back."  
  
Tom turned to Harry with a betrayed expression on his face, "What's this, the defend Seven club?"  
  
B'Elanna stood up with her tray, "I treated her dishonorably, I won't allow you to sway me into doing so again, Tom. If you want to remain friends you'll change your attitude." With that she turned and left a gaping Tom Paris and a pleased Harry Kim sitting at the table.  
  
Kayaln finished off her piece of fruit and looked thoughtfully at Seven, unsure of where to begin. A raised ocular implant caused her to grin at the blond woman. "Ok, body language lesson part 2," said Kayaln. "Ah...what did I leave out last time." Kayaln paced around the room some trying to order her thoughts. "Oh, don't imitate male body language. Men generally have a different way of holding themselves than women." Kayaln paced some more thinking, Seven watched while she helped herself to another green skinned fruit. "Don't be too obvious about watching people if you can help it, it makes people uncomfortable if they think you are analyzing them. And yes I know you are examining them Seven, just try to be discrete about it."  
  
Kayaln paused a moment then continued, "Everyone's body language will be to some extent uniquely their own. Most people learn their body language while they are still children. Thus, they learn it mostly from their family, peers and teachers. Your Chief Engineer for example will probably have a unique body language; she would have learned Klingon mannerisms from her mother and human ones from her peers. You will have to develop your own body language; a personal 'accent' might be an accurate term. It will probably be a blend of what you see others doing on Voyager."  
  
Kayaln looked inquisitively toward Seven and asked, "Do you have any questions? Any thing you used to do that caused a reaction that didn't make sense to you?"  
  
Seven considered the question and said, "Yes, I was constantly asked to sit when others sat. Due to my abdominal implant sitting was not comfortable, therefore I would decline the request. It seemed to frequently cause an antagonistic response; at the time I could see no reason why whether I sat or stood should cause such a reaction, so I decided such reactions were examples of human irrationality and thus irrelevant. I wonder now if I was unknowingly saying something in this 'body language' that caused the antagonism."  
  
Kayaln nodded, "You were, there are two ways that your refusal to sit would be usually interpreted. The first would be that you were intending to be rude, the second that you were stating that you were of higher social rank than the person inviting you to sit. Sometimes it is interpreted as both."  
  
Seven looked pensively out the window, "I did not mean to imply either of those, it was merely uncomfortable for me to sit." A flash of anger crossed Seven's face and she said in a tight voice, "It would have been more efficient if I had known of this 'body language' sooner. I have offended several members of the crew, it is not surprising that they dislike me and call me Ice Princess and Borg Queen."  
  
Kayaln put a comforting hand on Seven's arm attracting her attention and said softly, "Seven I think you will find that your death and the finding at the Arch of Judgment has caused several of you fellow crewmembers to reevaluate who they thought you were. Many of them have decided that they judged you unfairly, what they though was arrogance was actually unfamiliarity with human customs. I think you will find that several people are willing to 'start over'. If you try your best to adapt to your Collective I think you will find that you will develop several new friends."  
  
"Now about whether or not its appropriate to sit or stand. You should sit if you are invited to do so; if you are not invited to sit then you should remain standing. Both of these actions show respect for the other person. If you are in your office or quarters and someone comes in it is polite to offer them a seat. Unless of course the amount of time you are planning on speaking to them is less than a few minutes. If you plan on talking to them for say over five minutes and you don't invite them to sit then you are usually implying that you are displeased with them. Your Captain when she is disciplining someone probably does not invite them to sit, though she may sit herself," Kayaln paused with a questioning look at Seven.  
  
Seven said, "Sometimes when she is angry with me she invites me to sit, sometimes she does not."  
  
Kayaln nodded thinking, "The times when she's asked you to sit, has she been angry over professional issues or more personal issues."  
  
Seven considered the question trying to decipher the difference between what Kayaln would consider professional and personal. Finally she said, "Personal."  
  
Kayaln said, "That's the difference then, its fairly standard in military organizations to have a person whose being disciplined have to remain standing until their superior is finished chastising them." Kayaln sighed, "Most of this will just take time to learn. One final thing about sitting and standing, if you are not being disciplined and you wish to sit but have not been invited to simply ask politely if you may take a seat. Sometimes people simply forget, and in your case they may have grown so use to you standing that they don't make the offer anymore."  
  
A silence ensued while both though over what had been said, finally Kayaln asked, "Any other questions?"  
  
Seven looked thoughtful for a few seconds, "I can think of no other questions at this time."  
  
Kayaln smiled, "Well we have three more days counting today before you are released back to Voyager. If you think of any between now and then just ask either I or Analea."  
  
Seven looked sharply at Kayaln, "Three days until I return to Voyager..." Seven wasn't entirely sure what to feel about her return. She missed Astrometrics, the challenges that she faced almost every day on Voyager. She missed the times when she and Lt. Torres were discussing new engineering ideas or working against time to solve a problem. She even missed their arguments; there was something so open about her emotions that fascinated Seven. The Chief Engineer showed what emotion she was currently feeling so clearly, Seven found herself sometimes behaving irrationally by intentionally doing things she knew would elicit strong emotions from the woman.  
  
Yet she valued the peacefulness she was experiencing in the inner temple, she enjoying talking to Analea and Kayaln, their calm thorough explanations. The way they never seemed to get angry or irritated when she did something that was incorrect. She was also enjoying her training more than she anticipated, the movements of the unarmed combat, the feel of the Bat'leth in her hands. She was used to extending and exercising her brain, not her body, and the feel of extending her physical strength and agility to her limits was more satisfying than she had imagined.  
  
"How will I continue my training when I return to Voyager?" Seven asked.  
  
Kayaln said, "Mulara has already prepared several holodeck programs for you to use, you don't have to worry about ending your training. I think you will find the programs quite satisfactory."  
  
Seven tilted her head slightly surprised by the information, "I am sure they will be sufficient."  
  
Kayaln smiled, "I have no doubt they will be. Now what about some unarmed lessons?"  
  
Seven's remaining days went by quickly, she did her exercise program in the morning, stopped for a quick lunch then went to Bat'leth training. In the afternoon was unarmed training, then dinner. After dinner Kayaln gave her various lessons.  
  
The first night Kayaln brought a strange device that looked somewhat like a wind chime, a metallic wire frame supported several hanging four inch squares of some type of whitish metal. Kayaln grinned at her as she brought it in and hung it up and then tapped one of the squares. Seven watched as the square changed color from white to blue before it faded again.  
  
"Pressure sensitive coating," said Kayaln, "Its set for you to practice controlling your enhanced state strength. Its set for humanoids, blue means you haven't damaged the skin, red means that you have either bruised or broken the skin. If you change this setting," Kayaln showed her a small input area at the top of the structure, "You can change it to combat conditions, at that setting red means that you have used excessive force and probably broken a bone or severely injured your opponent. I want you to practice with both settings each day; its yours, so take it with you to Voyager. If you need to use your enhanced state to rescue someone you don't want to accidentally hurt them while doing so. If you are subduing someone that is hostile then you don't want to accidentally kill them, I think your Captain and Security Officer would rather they were alive."  
  
Seven nodded, she did not necessarily agree that hostile boarding parties should be captured alive but she knew it was preferred by Janeway and Tuvok. "How do I utilize this device?" asked Seven.  
  
"Touch each square as quickly as you can without turning it red, each time you practice change a variable. Stand close to it, stand far away, or change your angle. Its meant to teach you to gauge the speed and force with which you interact with an object," explained Kayaln. "Try it out," she encouraged.  
  
Trying to touch the various squares that seemed to move most erratically without turning them red proved to be more difficult than Seven had anticipated at first. She finally had to slow down her movements and pay close attention to how hard she touched each square before she managed to touch all of them without turning them red.  
  
The next night Kayaln told her about one of the holodeck exercise programs that Mulara had sent to Voyager. The program could replicate several different landscapes, mountainous, forested, scrub covered flatland, and swampy terrain were some of the choices. The program could be run alone or with up to four others. If a group played they could either cooperate, form two teams, or play against each other. The goal of the program was to start out without any weapons or supplies and make ones way through various guards and obstacles to the mission objective. You could choose to disable or kill the guards and take their supplies or choose to try and get by them without being detected.  
  
Kayaln told Seven that she thought it would be a good way for her to interact with the others in the crew. She pointed out that Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok and Lt. Torres would likely be highly interested in playing through the program with her. After Seven thought about the four people Kayaln mentioned she agreed that Kayaln's assessment was probably correct.  
  
Kayaln and Seven spent the next few hours going over the basics of moving silently, how to move without being detected, how to observe your surroundings to spot others and how to approach your target so that you could incapacitate or kill them.  
  
Seven was not pleased with her progress after the evenings practice but Kayaln assured her that the program had training routines built in; she could practice whenever she had the time.  
  
Seven's final night upon Mulara was spent much more sedately than the previous two. Both Analea and Kayaln came to walk with her around the garden and talk. The discussion ranged over several topics as they discussed how Sevens training was progressing. Analea related the events of her visit to Voyager and assured Seven that she would like the paintings she had put up in her quarters. Seven was not sure about some of the paintings but she was intensely curious to see the painting of the Omega molecule.  
  
"Seven, you are not going to loose contact with us tomorrow. Mulara will keep in contact with you, and through her us," said Analea realizing that some of Seven's uneasiness was coming from the thought of never seeing her or Kayaln again.  
  
Seven turned and looked at each of them, "Through dreams as she has before?"  
  
"Yes," replied Kayaln, "though I suspect the dreams will be less like the lessons you have had previously and more like what is happening now. A dream of a walk through these gardens and discussing things. That's more like what my dreams are like when Mulara talks to me. And, I suspect that you may find your holodeck instructors to be...more than what their program allows."  
  
Seven paused and seemed to absorb this information, then nodded. "I..." Seven paused and looked at Analea then at Kayaln, "It is comforting to know that I will be allowed to contact you from Voyager."  
  
"You are concerned about what your reception from the crew will be on Voyager," said Analea.  
  
Seven didn't directly respond but looked her in the eye for a moment then dropped her gaze. Seven didn't really want to think about having to listen to the hurtful comments that she was sure she was meant to hear.  
  
"Seven, one thing everyone has to learn is that not everyone will like you. I have people who whisper behind my back as well, it's a fact of existence. Just make sure you are treating people properly and if they do not treat you well in return then ignore their opinions. Some people are just small minded and petty," said Analea.  
  
Kayaln said, "Value the friends you have now and when people reach out to you in friendship when you return to Voyager make new friends. Remember to make friends you have to be a friend in return."  
  
From there the discussion quickly evolved to delve deeply into matters such as how one developed a friendship, and how friends treated one another.  
  
The night ended on a positive note and Seven went to sleep in a much lighter frame of mind than she had begun the evening.  
  
The next morning Seven awoke and felt a thrill of anticipation, this was the morning that she was going back to Voyager. Looking about the room she saw a small bag by the dresser. After she had eaten Seven went to enjoy one last bath in the bathing pool then dressed in her favorite set of clothing the sapphire blue shirt and black pants.  
  
When she was done she packed her belongings in the bag and went out to walk about the garden for one last time. She was still walking around the garden when she saw Analea and Kayaln approaching. Kayaln was carrying her bag and as they approached Analea held out a combadge to Seven which she took and affixed to her shirt.  
  
They looked for a moment at each other then Kayaln stepped up and embraced Seven, which was enough for the younger woman to begin crying. Kayaln just held Seven until she stepped back and said, "I will see you again, this is not goodbye. Believe me Seven."  
  
Seven nodded, "I know but I am still feeling sorrow at the thought of leaving. Though I want to go to Voyager."  
  
Analea said, "Understandable Seven, emotions are not ruled by logic. I shall miss you too, even though I know this is not goodbye either." With that Analea stepped close and gave Seven a warm hug as well.  
  
Seven calmed herself and picked up her bag looking at them and wiping her face dry. "Until we meet again then, my friends..." Seven said hesitantly.  
  
Warm smiles rewarded her and Kayaln said, "Yes you are our friend Seven. Until we meet again." Analea repeated the sentiment and then nodded to Seven indicating to her that it was time for her to contact Voyager.  
  
Seven took a breath and activated her combadge, "Seven to Voyager."  
  
A voice replied, "Voyager here."  
  
Seven looked one last time at the two of them and straightened, "One to beam up." 


End file.
